Where You Can and Can’t Park Your Car in the UK

Nobody wants to end up with a parking fine. They can be inconvenient and costly at the best of times and, if you’re a new driver, getting one could quite easily knock your confidence. Happily, it’s usually pretty easy to avoid getting one. Although even the most experienced motorists can get caught out, reading the following tips should help you minimise the chances of this happening.

Avoid yellow lines

If you pull onto a street that has yellow lines along the edge of it, proceed with caution. Double yellow lines mean that no parking is allowed at any time of day, under any circumstances. So, if you park on double yellows you’re just asking for a fine!

Less common are single yellow lines, which indicate that parking is only permitted at certain times of the day. There should be signage along the road indicating what these times are, so before you stop and walk away from your car, make sure you’re obeying the rules.

White lines are your friend

If the street has solid white lines at either side, you should be able to park there provided there are no signs or markings indicating otherwise. There’s only one exception to this rule: on roads where there is no pavement for pedestrians, a solid white line means you’re not allowed to park.

No lines on the road? If you’re in a residential area, you’ll be allowed to park unless any signs say otherwise. Just make sure you’re not blocking access to any driveways or businesses.

Some residential areas have parking for permit holders only (typically, people that live there). If you see any signs that say ‘Permit Holders Only’, find somewhere else to park!

Other areas to avoid

There are a number of other areas to avoid parking in, most of which (it has to be said) are common sense.

• Bus stops and bus lanes
• Cycle lanes
• Taxi parking areas
• Red-lined roads, double white-lined roads or areas marked with yellow zig-zags
• Business loading areas
• Clearways (denoted by round blue signs with a red X across them and a red border)
• Pass your test with confidence

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