Understanding Unique Parking Restrictions (PART 2: UK)

Firstly, and most importantly, I hope everyone reading this blog post is in good health and staying safe during these unprecedented and dire times. We understand parking may not be your number one concern right now; however, we hope you enjoy traveling around the globe with us and learning how parking rules and regulations differ in various parts of the world.

At Parknav, one of our offerings is the digitization of parking restrictions, and to thoroughly do that, it is critical that we have a deep understanding of the parking rules and regulations for every single city that we serve. As described in Part 1 of this Series, where we focused on loading zones for various cities within France, despite the standardization of rules and regulations within the EU, we saw that countries (and even cities) sometimes have their own specific local rules and regulations that are significantly different than the “status quo”. The United Kingdom is no different. Therefore, for Part 2 in this Series, we will travel across the English Chanel and take a look at the United Kingdom, more specifically London.

For someone unfamiliar with the United Kingdom — or at least its parking restriction and regulation system, you would probably miss some of the somewhat ambiguous details which can lead to the difference between finding that one evasive free parking space or paying a hefty parking fine. In this blog post, I will try to explain some of these nuances and show you how, with a bit of luck, you can find a free parking space within the city of London.

Figure 1: A street with parked cars in London (Note: Screenshot taken from Google Street View)

In Figure 1 above, you can clearly see the marked parking spaces (denoted by white rectangular markings) on the right side of the street. However, on the opposite side, there is a yellow line which someone unfamiliar with the regulations might think denotes that parking is forbidden at all times. Luckily for us, that is not the case. The traffic and parking regulation authorities in the UK use a system of lines, together with signs, to indicate where and when parking is illegal. These lines can be single or double, yellow or red or a combination of the two. Let’s first start by describing the single yellow lines.

Single Yellow Lines

For the single yellow lines, the days and times when parking is prohibited (also known as “Local Control Zone Hours”) are determined by the borough in which they are located, and can usually be seen on a yellow “No Parking” sign at the side of the road…although, not necessarily. In some areas, those small yellow signs are replaced by a “Zone” sign (See Figure 2) at the entrance and exit of a Controlled Zone (it is a cost saving measure not to have signs every 20–30 meters).

Figure 2: An example of a Controlled Parking Zone sign

This means that during the “Control Zone Hours”, you cannot park on the single yellow lines; however, you are able to stop shortly for loading purposes. Also, you are free to park at the curb which has a single yellow line outside controlled (restricted) hours. But, there is another important caveat you will need to be aware of…Unlike some other parking rules where it is fairly clear whether you can or cannot park, here you need to be conscious not to block the traffic flow. For example, some streets are very narrow with a single yellow line on one or both sides of the street. In this situation, two cars cannot park directly on opposite sides of the street since a vehicle traveling through that street would be unable to pass safely. An extreme example of this is shown in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3: A very narrow street in the UK with single yellow lines on both sides (Note: Screenshot taken from Google Street View)

In Figure 3, it is obvious you shouldn’t park there, even if hypothetically it wasn’t marked. Now let’s see another example of a yellow line that may be somewhat more ambiguous. An additional exemption to parking (outside “Controlled Zone Hours”) on single yellow lines is alleyways in which the curb is lowered — meaning the curb and the road are at the same height level. See Figure 4 below.

Figure 4: Since the curb and road are at the same level, no parking outside controlled hours on a single yellow line except on the clearly marked parking bays (Note: Screenshot taken from Google Street View)

Single Red Lines

Now let’s take a quick glimpse of the red single lines. The only difference between red and yellow single lines is that loading is permitted on single yellow lines during “Control Zone Hours”, but is not permitted for single red lines. However, similar to yellow single lines, parking outside the “Control Zone Hours” is permitted on red single lines.

Double Yellow and Red Lines

Finally, last (but certainly not least) are double yellow and red lines. These are simple in that no parking and no stopping is allowed at any time. Period. These are typically found in higher traffic streets where parking would obstruct traffic.

I hope this part in the Series helps you find a free parking space in London, or at the very least, aids you in avoiding an unnecessary fine. Please join us in the next part of this Series where we will continue to help you navigate through the jungle of parking restriction uncertainty. Until next time, stay safe!