Where you can and cannot park

By the end of this topic you can

• You can read yellow lines, clearway signs and parking plates and know what they allow.
• You can list the places where parking is banned even without a sign.
• You can pick a safe, legal place to stop during a lesson or test.
• You can explain who may use a disabled parking bay.
• You can explain who may use a loading bay and for how long.

What you need to know and understand

• No parking within 5 metres of a junction, unless spaces are clearly marked.
• No parking within 15 metres before or 5 metres after a pedestrian crossing or traffic lights.
• Double yellow lines mean no parking at any time.
• A single yellow line means no parking during the times on the nearby plate.
• A clearway bans stopping and parking during its hours, except when you are queuing in traffic.
• Only a vehicle showing a valid disabled person's parking permit, used for the permit holder, may park in a disabled bay.
• Parking in a dangerous position carries penalty points.

Banned even without a sign

The Rules of the Road lists places where you must not stop or park, whether or not there is a sign. The main ones are:

• On zig-zag lines at a pedestrian crossing, or on the crossing itself
• Within 15 metres before or 5 metres after a pedestrian crossing or traffic lights
• Within 5 metres of a junction, unless spaces are marked
• On yellow SCHOOL KEEP CLEAR markings
• At a bus stop or taxi rank, or in a loading bay
• Beside a continuous white line along the centre of the road
• On a footpath, grass margin, cycle track or median strip
• Across the entrance to a property, unless the occupier agrees
• Near the entrance to a fire, ambulance or Garda station
• Where the kerb is lowered for wheelchair users

Signs and lines that control parking

• Double yellow lines: no parking at any time on that side of the road.
• Single yellow line: no parking during the times on the plate.
• Clearway sign with a plate: no stopping or parking during the times shown, even where disc or meter parking normally applies.
• Disc parking: buy and display a disc for the time you stay, and leave by the end of it.
• Loading bay: for goods vehicles while loading or unloading, for no more than 30 minutes.
• Bus lane: no parking in a with-flow bus lane during its hours, or in a contra-flow bus lane at any time.

Common sense places to avoid

Never park at a corner, a bend, the brow of a hill, a hump-back bridge or a sharp dip. Other drivers would come on your car with no warning. Do not park anywhere that blocks the view of a school warden, or in any way that holds up normal traffic or puts other road users at risk.

Where possible, park facing the direction of traffic flow, and do not leave your headlights on once you have parked.

Common mistakes

• Stopping close to a junction because it is quiet. Keep at least 5 metres back unless bays are marked.
• Ignoring the plate under a single yellow line. Read the times before you leave the car.
• Using a relative's disabled permit for your own trip. It must be for the permit holder.
• Stopping briefly in a clearway to drop someone off during its hours. Stopping is banned too.
• Parking half on the footpath. It blocks buggies and wheelchairs and is an offence.

Test yourself: Where you can and cannot park

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Parking Rules in Ireland
• Disabled Parking Permit in Ireland for New Drivers
• Irish Road Markings