Parking and no waiting restrictions

Single yellow lines A single yellow line on the road shows a restriction that applies for part of the day and/or on certain days of the week. The timing of the restriction will be shown on a sign close to the roadside.

Double yellow lines Double yellow lines on the road mean that you cannot park or wait in the vehicle in this area at any time.

Limited waiting bays White dashed lines on the road denote an area in which parking is permitted in accordance with the restrictions shown on the nearby signs. A parking bay may also be denoted by a change in surface from the surrounding road, rather than by dashed lines. Before leaving your vehicle check the signs to make sure you are parking correctly.

Loading restrictions and bays Yellow marks on the kerb or at the edge of the carriageway mean loading and unloading is prohibited. Two yellow bars mean loading is not permitted at any time.

A single yellow bar means loading is not permitted at the times shown on the nearby signs.

Loading bays are marked on the road and shown on signs where the bay does not apply 24 hours a day or restricts particular types of vehicle.

Goods vehicle loading only bays are to enable goods vehicles to load or unload to local businesses. No other vehicles are permitted to park in these bays during the restricted times which will be made clear on the time plates at the location. This must be carried out continuously and our civil enforcement officers must observe it taking place during their observation period. Vehicles must be moved once loading has finished.

Blue Badge bay These bays allow parking for blue badge holders only during the restricted times. These may be time restricted or allow parking for badge holders all day depending on the signage at the location.

Clearway A clearway means that no stopping is permitted at any time. This is the strongest level of parking restriction as there are no exemptions that permit parking here. There are no road markings that indicate a clearway but there are large signs when you enter a clearway and smaller repeater signs throughout that restricted zone.

Controlled parking zone These are zones that indicate that a restriction applies in locations where road markings and/or continuous signage is not desirable. These are usually to indicate 'no waiting' restrictions however signage must always be considered fully by the motorist to identify the restriction at that particular location.

Bank holiday parking Parking restrictions apply on bank holidays unless the signs state otherwise. Any vehicle parked on a restriction on a bank holiday may be issued with a penalty charge notice.

Pavements and verges Parking restrictions such as yellow lines also apply to verges and pavements. Restrictions extend from the centre of the highway to the nearest property line. Therefore, vehicles parked on a footway or grass verge behind yellow lines can be issued with a penalty charge notice. More information can be found on Parking on pavements and verges

Dropped kerbs, dropped footways and double parking You should not park in front of dropped kerbs or dropped footways and you should not double park or park more than 500mm from the kerb line. In these cases, there is no requirement for any signs or lines to be marked on the carriageway to denote that parking is disallowed. Civil enforcement officers (CEOs) will issue penalty charge notices (PCNs) to vehicles parked in this way. Officers will not enforce dropped kerbs outside residential or business premises unless specifically requested to do so by the owner or occupier of the premises. < How to Apply and pay for a new dropped kerb or vehicle access

School keep clear These zig-zag restrictions are used around the entrances to schools. These prevent the picking up or setting down of children during restricted times which tend to coincide with the school's start and finish.

Resident permit zones Resident permit bays are for use of residents that have a residential parking permit. Other permits are available for visitors, carers and traders. These can be obtained from us and further details can be found on our permits page. Some residential permit schemes are zones rather than individual bays. These are known as controlled parking zones (CPZ) and only have signage on entry to the zone and smaller repeater signs within the restricted area, rather than bay markings.

Taxi ranks These bays are reserved for licensed hackney carriages or private hire vehicles only. The times this will apply are detailed on the time plates at the location.

Images shown are obtained from the Department for Transport and are used in line with the Open Government Licence

For more information visit Know your parking rights