Parking at night

[sigma]

With local councils switching off street lights to save money does it still stand that parking in a 30 mph area without lighting you have to park on the correct side of the road and display a parking light.

[ummmm]

I thought you were suppose to park on the correct side regardless. So I was told in my driving lessons anyway.

[Toureman]

Get a highway code!


http://www.direct.gov...E=highwaycode_parking

[R1Geezer]

neither of those are a legal requirement, only a Highway code expressed desire. It does not say you MUST park facing the correct way and it does not say you MUST display a parking light.

[rojash]

Well it may not say that you must park facing the correct way, but it does say "You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space."

Which, to me, seems to be the same thing :)

[R1Geezer]

no it doesn''t say that Rojash, dunno where you got that from, Highway code rule 239, "do not park facing against the traffic flow". That's not a legal requirement just a statement of advice and preference.

[ummmm]

I would have thought the words DO NOT made it a requirement.

[ChuckFickens]

Yes it does say that....

Rule 248

"You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space."

And from the introduction...

"Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence. An explanation of the abbreviations can be found in 'The road user and the law'."

[ChuckFickens]

No, "do not" in the highway code is just advisory information, "must not" indicates a legal requirement.

But as it clearly says "You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space." then it is illegal to park facing traffic at night.

[ummmm]

So R1 is wrong....

[jackthehat]

Could you type that^ out again, in capitals, ummmm..............I think it deserves a more public airing..........:o)

[ummmm]

SO R1GEEZER IS WRONG....

[jackthehat]

Excellent.............thankyou ! :D

(What's the betting that he doesn't see it like that, though ?)

[ummmm]

I've put my hard helmet on so the name calling won't enter my head :-)

[ChuckFickens]

Also with regards to "and it does not say you MUST display a parking light."

Rule 249
"All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."

[ummmm]

HAHA...R1 WAS WRONG TWICE IN ONE POST...

[R1Geezer]

OK fair enough, rule 239 contradicts rule 248 but 248 does apply at night so fair enough, hands up. Put your best smug face on ummmm!

[squarebear]

"With local councils switching off street lights to save money..."

Where is the link to this story?

[ummmm]

Lol :-)

I thought you might shout at me...

[Hopkirk]

Oh come on Squarebear, where have you been for the last couple of years?

You don't need a link, it's been in the papers so many times.

My town has been turning off residential streetlights from midnight until five am for at least two years now.

[Lborobrewer]

I believe you have to display lights if parked at night within 10 metres of a junction irrespective of the direction you are facing, even if you are parked opposite the exit of a T-junction rather than adjacent to it.