Online campaign shames drivers who park on Tbilisi footpaths

Tbilisi locals are fed up with cars illegally parking on footpaths and making it difficult for pedestrians to walk freely and safely along the sidewalks - so have launched an online campaign to stop the frequent parking faux pas.

Those behind the civil campaign noted the problem was caused by poor urban planning that did not accommodate for adequate parking throughout the city, and poor management and law enforcement of the company responsible for parking in Tbilisi.

A car parked on the footpath on Chavchavadze Avenue, one of the main streets of Tbilisi. Photo by 'Introducing Shameless Drivers' Facebook page

Under Georgian law it is illegal for cars to park on footpaths. This action caused major problems for pedestrians, who were then forced to walk on busy streets, protesters said. Blocked sidewalks also made it almost impossible for the disabled in wheelchairs and parents with strollers to move safely along the paths. In some cases cars parked on newly installed wheelchair access ramps, protesters claimed.

To stop the nasty habit, supporters launched an online campaign and posted photos of illegally parked cars on sidewalks on Facebook shaming pages. The campaign encouraged others to post to the page if they came across poor parking.

Social media pages, such as Gaitsanit Samartskhvino Mdzgholebi (Introducing Shameless Drivers) and Parkingis Guruebi (Parking Gurus) were created specifically for this purpose.

Sometimes the cars completely block the footpaths. Photo by 'Parking Gurus' Facebook page

Meanwhile another Facebook page that has recently become popular called on the public to leave notes on vehicles that were parked on wheelchair access ramps to inform drivers of the significant impacts their actions have for the city’s disabled population.

Under Article 37 of the Georgian Road Traffic law, parking on a sidewalk is prohibited except for instances where an appropriate sign is installed on the sidewalk and relevant marking is present.

Despite this drivers continued to flout the law and park on sidewalks as there is no effective mechanism in place to punish offending drivers.