Gloucestershire County Council is urging businesses to remember pedestrians when putting A boards or furniture outside their premises.
Following concerns from shoppers in Cotswold towns, decease the council will be working with shop owners to make sure that items for sale, thumb tables and chairs, order and A boards are not blocking pavements.
The county council support the need for vibrant and thriving street scenes in towns and villages across Gloucestershire, and works to balance this with its legal responsibility to ensure our roads and pavements are safe for everyone.
In January the council met with the police, Cotswold District Council and Cirencester Town Council to look at how obstructions are affecting local people and how these safety concerns can be addressed.
The group found that items placed in the street by businesses, such as A boards, goods for sale and tables and chairs, have been causing issues for some local people and visitors, in particular those who are visually impaired and pedestrians with mobility issues, some of who have raised concerns directly with the council.
If businesses place things on the highway they could be liable for any accidents they cause.
Cllr Vernon Smith, Cabinet member for highways and flood said, “We work really hard to support Gloucestershire businesses wherever we can. They need to do their bit too and make sure that our roads and pavements are safe for everyone who uses them.”
Cirencester and Tetbury are two of the Cotswold towns which local people have raised as areas for the county council to look at.
Cllr Joe Harris, local county councillors for Cirencester said, “I strongly sympathise with the difficulties blind, partially sighted and disabled people face when they need to get around town. I ask traders to take a common-sense approach and consider any hazards they may have outside their premises.”
Cllr Tony Hicks, local county councillor for Tetbury said, “Local people have been getting in touch to tell me how difficult it is to get around town when traders block the pavements. The elderly, the disabled and those using mobility scooters particularly struggle so I urge traders to check they’re not causing any obstructions.”
To report hazards on footways or roads visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/reportit or call 08000 514514.