A keen-eyed group of community activists have created a Twitter account to document the terrible, hilarious and down-right bizarre parking in Oxford.
The Twitter account, Badly Parked Oxford, was set up in June by an anonymous team of people who are passionate about keeping Oxford’s pavements clear and accessible.
Inspired by the work of Living Streets and Oxford Pedestrians Association, this nameless team shares pictures of cars, vans, bicycles and other vehicles parked on pavements around the city which block the way for pedestrians.
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… pic.twitter.com/MPDNb8NLbh
— Badly Parked Oxford (@BadlyParkedOx) July 26, 2022
Images have even been shared of a children’s toy car left in a field, a fridge on the size of the road and a misplaced port-a-loo.
Badly Parked Oxford’s organiser told the Oxford Mail the team set the page up to highlight the “difficulty getting around” for pedestrians and the “expectation that drivers will take responsibility for their vehicles”.
The admins have called the parking featured on the account “anti-social parking” as it is a “dangerous” and “inconvenient” to people.
Picture: Badly Parked Oxford on Twitter
The team behind the account did not know each other before they started working together but became united by their belief that “pavements are for people”.
“The most vulnerable people on the road are pedestrians and cyclists,” the organiser said.
The response to Badly Parked Oxford has been quite positive, with members of the community keen to flag issues with parking around the city.
Picture: Badly Parked Oxford on Twitter
Despite this, some Twitter users have linked the account with the controversial Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme.
The organiser explained: “Most people are really supportive, however some people assume we are pro-LTN and anti-car.
“It is about the decisions people make about their cars, not LTNs”.
A new variation on @BadlyParkedOx – #badlyparkedloos pic.twitter.com/aOgG199BD9
— Badly Parked Oxford (@BadlyParkedOx) June 23, 2022
They added: “We all firmly believe that pavements are for people not cars. The number of cars in Oxford has increased in recent years.
“The council need to consider what is ideal, one of them would be to have a difficult stopping area to discourage people from parking on the pavement.
“It does come down to people’s decision making.”
Picture: Badly Parked Oxford on Twitter
Another important element of the Twitter account is to raise awareness of the impact of illegal parking on certain groups of people.
“Some people need to be reminded that it does effect people and some people are completely disabled. It does effect people in unexpected ways,” the anonymous organiser added.
You can follow the account here: https://twitter.com/BadlyParkedOx
Picture: Badly Parked Oxford on Twitter
Living Streets aims to achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk more.
Oxford Pedestrians Association campaigns to make Oxford a better place to walk.
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Read more from this author
This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
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