Frequently Asked Parking Questions

We have all been in that situation where we have driven to our desired destination and are faced with a whole host of car parking dilemmas, such as can I park here? How long for? And how much does it cost? Take a look below for some of the most frequently asked car parking questioned answered.

On street parking
It is always important to take care when selecting an on street car parking space to ensure you don’t receive a fine or put your car in a situation where it could be damaged by other motorists. Some of the best on street parking tips include; don’t park on the brow of a hill, close to a junction or in a manor which would prevent emergency service vehicles accessing the road.

Can I park on single yellow lines?
Restrictions for parking on single yellow lines are often shown on nearby road signs, before choosing to park always ensure you check the rules as each road can be different. As a guideline often single yellow line streets allow parking outside of its peak hours.

Can I park on double yellow lines?
Parking on a double yellow line is just simply a no go unless you are a holder of a disabled blue badge (however even with a blue badge sometimes there are exceptions depending on the location).

Off street Parking in a car park
Take a look below for some of the most frequently asked questions when parking in a private or public car park:

I don’t have change!
Always make sure you have change available for parking, if you leave your car without a valid ticket to get change from a nearby place you are putting yourself at risk of receiving a fine even if you did intend to pay for a ticket.

How should I display my ticket?
Always ensure your ticket or parking permit is clearly visible and not obstructed when being displayed. Check simple things to ensure you don’t receive a parking fine such as make sure your ticket is not upside down, back to front or hidden in a collection of tickets. If the ticket or parking permit is not clearly visible to the parking warden you will most likely receive a fine.

How is my parking?
When parking in a parking bay make sure your vehicle is within all the lines of the bay. In some more strict car parks especially in city centers if your vehicle is parked even slightly outside of the lines you could revive a parking ticket.

Grace period
Did you know you now have a 10-minute grace period once your ticket has run out before you can receive a parking ticket (this rule does not apply when parking on double or single yellow lines)

Parking in a private car park
It is important to take care when parking in private car parks, as they can often have very different rules and private car parking wardens. If you do happen to receive a parking charge notice rather than a penalty charge notice (these are issued by the council) asking you to pay a large sum of money for an unfair reason, do not pay it straight away.

As much as penalty charge notice and parking charge notice may look similar they are very different in nature. A penalty charge notice is issued by the council and must be paid unless it is agreed the ticket was issued unfairly, however a parking charge notice is an invoice rather than fine.

If you believe you have received an unfair fine from a private car park it may be worth appealing. Make sure you report the unfair ticket to the land owner and gather as much evidence a possible if you are going to appeal your fine.

*Don’t forget when hiring a car outside the UK always research the car parking rules as your destination may have different parking rules and laws.