Parking

  • Mike2811's Avatar
    Just received a ticket for parking opposite my house
    My car wheels are within double yellow but the boot overhangs
    Can anyone help with legal status
    Have tried Highway Code online but could not find sufficient detail
    Many thanks
    Mike
  • 10 Replies

  • Best Answer

    Hometune's Avatar
    Guest
    Best Answer
    Your council must be hard up to be issuing tickets for this. However, any part of the car overhanging the yellow line(s) is an offence.

    The link below takes you to the Department of Transport and you should find the Traffic Sign Manual.
    This shows parking restrictions etc and how they should be marked. If the lines have breaks in them or do not have the bar at the end then they are not enforceable. They have to conform in all sorts of ways so may be worth looking for the sign that tells you what the restriction is and seeing if it too, is legal. I think this may be your only escape route although a letter of appeal is worth a shot especially if you can include a photo.

    www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tss/
  • Mike2811's Avatar
    Parking

    Thanks for prompt response / help
    Re your comment on local authority
    Leicester City Council and they are a little keen if characteristically inconsistent
    Many thanks again
    Mike
    :mad:
  • smudger's Avatar
    There is a bloke who has toured the whole of the UK and written a book on such perking issues, I think he also has a web site. I only hope someone on here will be able to give the link to it.
    He explains all the loopholes in the painted road markings and distances etc. good luck with your appeal;)
  • Snowball's Avatar
    If all else fails, it's worth carefully checking the wording on your penalty ticket.
    If just your boot was overhanging the line, and the ticket says you were parking on the line, then there is a difference in law; they have to be word-perfect.

    As a matter of interest, around the beginning of September I reported a dangerous road marking to Leicester City Council. Their highways department have acknowledged the danger and are going to put it right. The marking is on the A563/Saffron Lane traffic island.
    Does rather seem that their priorities are adrift regarding road safety v. parking fine revenue.
  • saloon drifter's Avatar
    I was always under the impression that as long as the wheels were not touching the lines a car could overhang and be ok, I once got a ticket because my front wheel was just touching the line, but that was in the days of proper parking wardens employed by the police not the jumped up council employees we have now.
    On a note about double yellows a friend of mine has a garage in Preston and he was having trouble because theere is a single yellow line outside his garage but no signs to say what the restrictions are, he was having trouble every day with parking attendants trying to ticket cars, who obviously did not know that without the relevant signage they couldn't, so after a few weeks they turned up and put signs up, after complaints from the buisness' on the street a few days later they came and removed them because they hadn't diplayed the notice of intent to make parking restrictions. Two years on the signs have never been put back up.
    What made this more frustrating for them was the fact that at the end of the road is a mosque and at that part of the road there is double yellow lines, and the parking wardens had been told to ignore the fact that cars were parked there on a friday.
  • smudger's Avatar
    That definitely sounds like a case of double standards to me!
    Mind you, its not the first time, as I have read similar situations when it comes to so called "ethnic minorities":rolleyes:
  • horaortiz's Avatar
    Banned
    When everything else fails, read your fine receipt very carefully.
    There is a legal distinction between parking on the line and having your boot hang over it, so tickets must be word perfect.

    At the beginning of September, I contacted Leicester City Council about a potentially hazardous road marking. Their highways division has recognized the risk and promised to fix it. The sign is located on a traffic island at the intersection of State Route 563 and Saffron Lane.
    It appears that they have mixed road safety and parking fee income as priority.
  • roninbrooks's Avatar
    In the UK, parking opposite double yellow lines is generally prohibited, regardless of whether your wheels are within the lines, if any part of your vehicle (including the boot) overhangs the restriction. The rules under the Road Traffic Act 1988 state that no vehicle should park where yellow lines are present.
    However, in some cases, you could appeal if there were unclear signage or markings, but generally, overhanging is seen as a contravention. If you're unsure, you could also seek legal advice or check with your local council, as they can provide specifics based on the exact location.
    For more information, you can refer to official government guidelines or consult with legal advice.
  • Beelzebub's Avatar
    In the UK, parking opposite double yellow lines is generally prohibited, regardless of whether your wheels are within the lines, if any part of your vehicle (including the boot) overhangs the restriction. The rules under the Road Traffic Act 1988 state that no vehicle should park where yellow lines are present.
    However, in some cases, you could appeal if there were unclear signage or markings, but generally, overhanging is seen as a contravention. If you're unsure, you could also seek legal advice or check with your local council, as they can provide specifics based on the exact location.
    For more information, you can refer to official government guidelines or consult with legal advice.

    The OP posted his question in 2009. It seems unlikely that he's still waiting for an answer. fifteen tears later

    BTW the rules on yellow lines are NOT contained in the Road Traffic Act.
  • roninbrooks's Avatar
    Thanks for the reply! It’s reassuring to know my boot’s overhanging antics have made it into the annals of double-yellow folklore. Who knew that parking my car could be a legal minefield? I always thought it was the wheels that mattered, not the occasional rebellious rear-end of my hatchback.
    I’ll definitely explore my options with the council and check if their signage and markings pass the eye test. If they’re as clear as a British summer, I might just have a case!
    In the meantime, I’ll brush up on the Highway Code—though I might need a magnifying glass and a law degree to decipher some of it. Thanks again for shedding light on my vehicular misstep. I’ll take your advice and see if I can argue my case before they turn my parking ticket into an expensive lesson in spatial awareness!