Can I just write because it's a shitty thing to do. It's a blight here and makes walking frankly unpleasant. It's difficult to use a baby buggy and I imagine impossible for wheelchair users. Anyone of limited mobility will struggle, as will the blind or partially sighted, and for the rest of us, it's annoying to have to periodically step out into a road (and it's often difficult to see over tall cars, especially if you're a shortarse like me). Of course, often the gaps between the pavement parked cars are too narrow to even squeeze out into the road without backtracking several cars. This also increases your chances of meeting an unsympathetic speeding driver.
All said though, I can't see any government changing it for the same reason the local council don't bother with council enforcement. Perhaps the way forward is to make sure pavement accessibility is covered under equality legislation and the sue the fuck out of local councils.