German take: Parking on the side of the road and on sidewalks should just be banned.
Its legality is based on a single court case from the 1950's where a judge decided that it should be a legal use of public space, because it's necessary and useful for motorizing the country. The justfication is obsolete. It's not enshrined in any laws. The traffic law specifically forbids it, with exceptions.
Yet it's practiced everywhere and even where parked cars block sidewalks, police simply don't enforce the law.
"But where should I park?"
You should have thought of that before buying a car.
"But what about rural areas where you need a car to live?"
No problem here, just park it on your turnip field.