Where you can and cannot park

By the end of this topic you can

• You can read yellow line markings and the time plates that go with them.
• You can recognise clearways, red routes and other no-stopping areas.
• You can choose a safe, legal place to stop that does not block anyone.
• You can park correctly at night and on hills.
• You can open your door safely and secure the car when you leave it.

What you need to know and understand

• Double yellow lines mean no waiting at any time, even if there are no upright signs.
• Single yellow lines mean no waiting during the times shown on nearby plates or zone entry signs.
• You must not stop or park on a clearway, on pedestrian crossings or their zigzag lines, on a road marked with double white lines (except briefly to pick up or set down passengers or load goods), or on red routes unless signs allow it.
• Do not stop or park opposite or within 10 metres of a junction, except in an authorised parking space.
• Do not park where the kerb has been lowered for wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles, or in front of the entrance to a property.
• You must not park on a road at night facing against the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space.
• Vehicles parked on a road or lay-by with a speed limit over 30 mph must show parking lights at night.

Places to keep clear

• Near a school entrance, and on school entrance zigzag markings when upright signs prohibit stopping.
• Anywhere you would block emergency services access.
• At or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank.
• On the approach to a level crossing.
• Near the brow of a hill or a hump bridge, and on a bend.
• Where you would block a cycle lane or cycle track.
• In spaces reserved for Blue Badge holders, residents or motorcycles, unless you are entitled to use them.
• Partly or wholly on the pavement in London or Scotland, and elsewhere unless signs say it is allowed.

Doing it properly when you stop

Use car parks or marked bays wherever you can. If you stop at the roadside, pull in close to the kerb, facing the same way as the traffic. You must switch off the engine, headlights and fog lights and apply the handbrake before leaving the car. Lock it and keep valuables out of sight.

Before opening a door, check mirrors and look round for cyclists and other traffic. Opening the door with the hand furthest from it, for example your left hand for the driver's door, makes you turn your body and look over your shoulder. It is also safer for passengers, especially children, to get out on the kerb side.

Night, fog and hills

At night your car is harder to see. Do not park facing against the traffic flow unless you are in a recognised parking space. On roads with a speed limit over 30 mph, you must show parking lights.

On a slope, the car could roll if the brake fails. Turning the front wheels so the kerb would stop it adds a safety margin: away from the kerb facing uphill, towards the kerb facing downhill. Apply the handbrake firmly and, in a manual, leave it in a forward gear facing uphill or reverse facing downhill. In an automatic, select park.

Common mistakes

• Parking on a single yellow line without checking the time plate. Always read the plate.
• Stopping close to a junction because it is convenient. Stay at least 10 metres away.
• Blocking a dropped kerb or driveway. Leave them completely clear.
• Parking on the right at night. Turn round and park facing the traffic flow.
• Opening the door without looking. Check for cyclists first.

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 UK Highway Code
• Yellow Lines, Red Routes and Loading Bays Explained
• Parking at Night and EV Charging Cables