Ever get frustrated at never being able to find a parking space anywhere near your home?
Or worse, finding your driveway blocked by an inconsiderate driver?
It's a frustration for many drivers - but is there anything we can do about it?
It could be tempting to employ traffic cones or even other obstacles like bins to prevent thoughtless parking, but doing so is likely to land you in hot water with your local council.
However, there are some steps you can take if someone parks in front of your driveway.
Our sister title GloucestershireLive looked into exactly what the rules are.
What does the law and the Highway Code say about blocking driveways?
It might come as a surprise that, despite drivers being taught not to park in front of driveways, it isn't actually a criminal offence to do so.
That's because it's one of the places drivers are told "do not park" in rule 243 of the Highway Code - except where forced to do so by stationary traffic. By contrast, rule 240 of the code lists places people "must not park".
It's only the "must not" rules in the code that it's automatically a criminal offence to disobey. However, flouting the 'do not' or 'should not rules' could still be used against a person in a traffic court, even if they're not automatically criminal.
So if you are affected by anti-social parking you can contact both the police and the council. They may not automatically be able to act, however.
Can you put cones out to block people?
Unfortunately no, you can't combat thoughtless or anti-social parking by using cones, bins or other obstacles, whether it's in front of your drive or a parking spot near your home you want to keep free.
Council officials are likely to order the removal of any such objects. Placing them on the road could potentially be construed as an offence under the Highways Act, if it "wilfully obstructs the free passage along a highway", and people need to contact their local council if they need to take up a spot on the road with something like a skip.
Reserved parking spaces can be installed for blue-badge holders under certain circumstances - again, drivers should contact their local council.
If it's a space outside your house you're wanting to keep free, as opposed to a driveway, you have even less power, as while someone who parks in front of a driveway is flouting the highway code, home owners have no particular rights to parking spaces in front of or near their homes.
Even if there's a parking permit scheme in place in your area, that's no guarantee of a parking spot within a particular radius of your house.
The Highway Code says you must not park on:
- the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency
- a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines
- a clearway
- taxi bays as indicated by upright signs and markings
- an Urban Clearway within its hours of operation, except to pick up or set down passengers
- a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods
- a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation
- a cycle track
- red lines, in the case of specially designated ‘red routes’, unless otherwise indicated by signs. Any vehicle may enter a bus lane to stop, load or unload where this is not prohibited
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in parking spaces reserved for specific users, such as Blue Badge holders, residents or motorcycles, unless entitled to do so.
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in a dangerous position or where it causes any unnecessary obstruction of the road.
The code also says 'do not park':
- near a school entrance
- anywhere you would prevent access for emergency services
- at or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank
- on the approach to a level crossing/tramway crossing
- opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
- near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
- opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
- where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
- where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles
- in front of an entrance to a property
- on a bend
- where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities
except when forced to do so by stationary traffic.
