Parking opposite a solid white line

declanoneill

Is it well known that you're not allowed to park opposite a solid white line? A woman in work got a parking ticket (€19) for doing this (she's been doing it for ages, seems they only started enforcing it) I'd never heard of it (learn something new every day). I don't remember it being in the rules of the road, someone care to correct me?

disillusioned

never heard of that.

i thought it was only a single yellow or double yellow at the kerb which meant that parking's not allowed!

i thought white lines appear in the centre of the road and dicate whether overtaking etc is allowed.......

prospect

I never heard of it either.
But if you think about it. You are not allowed to cros a solid white line. If someone parks opposite one, then you are forcing other road users to cross the white line in order to get around you.
Although, I would have thought the council would paint a yellow line opposite all white lines, for this reason.

Alun

I've never heard of this being illegal either, I must admit, although since there is a solid white line there it would be illegal to cross it under normal circumstances, presumably because of some dangerous situation ... a bend, hump in the road etc. so effectively by parking there you're forcing someone to put themselves in danger, so it seems sensible to me on reflection.

The absence of yellow lines isn't really relevant here I think. There are other circumstances where it is illegal to park, like too close to a junction (< 10m), or within the zigzag lines either side of a pedestrian crossing where the presence of yellow lines isn't required. At least it is in the UK, I assume there's something similar here, although looking around you wouldn't think so!

kdevitt

Yep have heard of it - an ex girlfriend got clamped down Fleming Lane (off Baggot Street) a few years ago for doing it, although about a month later they marked out the spot where she'd been clamped as a proper parking spot, even though its still opposite the white line...

seamus

Yep, it's not allowed. You may not park where there's a solid white line - because people would have to cross the line to get around you.

css

Its not allowed and is in the rules of the road..

Macy

I though it was if you forced others to cross the unbroken white line, not parking where there is an unbroken white line?

steviec

My driving instructor told me about this, and even warned me that in the test it's possible you'll be asked to pull over in the test where there's a solid white line but the instructor expects you to drive on till the line becomes broken before you stop.

As was said, it's because parking opposite a solid white line would force other people to cross it.

Alun

Macy wrote:

I though it was if you forced others to cross the unbroken white line, not parking where there is an unbroken white line?

Amounts to the same thing on most roads, unless they're uncommonly wide.

prospect

Question:

Suppose on a national route with a hard shoulder.
You could have a solid white line in the centre of the road, but still plenty of room to pull in, onto the hard shoulder if required.
Is that illegal aswell?

preilly79

prospect wrote:

I never heard of it either.
But if you think about it. You are not allowed to cros a solid white line. If someone parks opposite one, then you are forcing other road users to cross the white line in order to get around you.
Although, I would have thought the council would paint a yellow line opposite all white lines, for this reason.

you're allowed cross a solid white line if there is an obstruction.

prospect

preilly79 wrote:

you're allowed cross a solid white line if there is an obstruction.

I know, it is the person causing the obstruction we are dealing with, because they shouldn;t park opposite a solid white line.

I am asking if this is the case always, even if you can park off the road (hard shoulder) opposite a solid white line. Then you are not causing an obstruction.

seamus

prospect wrote:

Suppose on a national route with a hard shoulder.
You could have a solid white line in the centre of the road, but still plenty of room to pull in, onto the hard shoulder if required.
Is that illegal aswell?

It's a technicality. Essentially a white line means "no overtaking", but if you do not cross the white line when overtaking, then (assuming there was no sign to say "No Overtaking") technically there has been no breach.

It's a judgement call I'd say. You shouldn't be parked in the hard shoulder unless it's an emergency anyway, and legally you shouldn't pull into the hard shoulder to allow other vehicles to overtake, if there's a solid white line in the centre of the road.

By and large however, the only cases where I've seen a big enough hard shoulder and a solid white line are at blind corners, long bends, sharp rises, etc - places where you shouldn't overtake anyway. Otherwise if there's a solid white line & hard shoulder, it's usually not wide enough to facilitate allowing people to overtake.

prospect

seamus wrote:

It's a technicality. Essentially a white line means "no overtaking", but if you do not cross the white line when overtaking, then (assuming there was no sign to say "No Overtaking") technically there has been no breach.

It's a judgement call I'd say. You shouldn't be parked in the hard shoulder unless it's an emergency anyway, and legally you shouldn't pull into the hard shoulder to allow other vehicles to overtake, if there's a solid white line in the centre of the road.

By and large however, the only cases where I've seen a big enough hard shoulder and a solid white line are at blind corners, long bends, sharp rises, etc - places where you shouldn't overtake anyway. Otherwise if there's a solid white line & hard shoulder, it's usually not wide enough to facilitate allowing people to overtake.

Those were my thought on it aswell. Cheers.

scargill

I got ticket for same offence years ago at the RDS. can't remember the exact details of the ticket. The solid white line down the middle of the road was the main problem - it was also an 'Urban Clearway' during certain hours. I vaguely remember the kind garda telling me was only doing me for the parking on road with white line and not for the Urban Clearway offence.

never heard of it before then,

declanoneill

scargill wrote:

I vaguely remember the kind garda

*lol*

Nice.

Gegerty

declanoneill wrote:

Is it well known that you're not allowed to park opposite a solid white line? A woman in work got a parking ticket (€19) for doing this (she's been doing it for ages, seems they only started enforcing it) I'd never heard of it (learn something new every day). I don't remember it being in the rules of the road, someone care to correct me?

ahhhaaa....that explains why I got a parking ticket near Kilmacud LUAS station. I was going to go all the way to court on this one :eek:

Hotblack Desiato

seamus wrote:

you shouldn't pull into the hard shoulder to allow other vehicles to overtake, if there's a solid white line in the centre of the road.

If they don't have to cross the solid line to pass you, there's no problem.

Victor

I don't remember it being in the rules of the road, someone care to correct me?

Then read the rules of the road.

ninja900 wrote:

If they don't have to cross the solid line to pass you, there's no problem.

Your not meant to drive on the hard shoulder.

Macy wrote:

I though it was if you forced others to cross the unbroken white line, not parking where there is an unbroken white line?

You would of course then be causing an obstruction forcing someone across the solid white line ....

causal

Let's get this straight:

You should not cross a continuous white line, except:
- to pass an obstruction
- if the line nearest you is a broken white line (in the case of double lines where the other line is continuous)
- for access (at a junction - though they tend to put a break in the line)

While we're at it:
A continuous white line does not mean "no overtaking".
If there's a hard shoulder and a continuous white line and you need to park - then you would park on the hard shoulder.

To the OP, there is an instance when you CAN park 'opposite' a continuous white line, from the ROTR page 47:

Parking is prohibited:
- Where there is a single or double continuous white line along the centre of the raod (except in urban areas where the road is wide enough for three or more traffic lanes).

causal

seamus

causal wrote:

To the OP, there is an instance when you CAN park 'opposite' a continuous white line, from the ROTR page 47:

There you go, I stand corrected.

Hotblack Desiato

Victor wrote:

Your not meant to drive on the hard shoulder.

Except (on non-motorway roads) to allow following traffic to pass.

NUTLEY BOY

I found a 1967 version of The Rules of the Road !

Under "PARKING" it says, in block capitals, "DO NOT PARK" where there is a single or double continuous white line.

Guess Dublin City Council don't mind making a change to that by placing designated pay to park spaces opposite white lines as well as on both sides of side roads where cars can now park opposite each other and within feet of corners. These last two were also supposed to no nos...

Victor

NUTLEY BOY wrote:

Under "PARKING" it says, in block capitals, "DO NOT PARK" where there is a single or double continuous white line.

A lot of such items are suffixed with "unless there are designated parkings spaces".

causal

The 1967 ROTR was derived from laws which have since been (in many but not all aspects) superceded or amended, for example from the ROAD TRAFFIC (TRAFFIC AND PARKING) REGULATIONS, 1997

Prohibitions on Parking

36. (1) Save as otherwise provided for in these Regulations and subject to article 5, a vehicle shall not be parked on a public road at a location, in a manner or for a purpose referred to in this article.

(2) A vehicle shall not be parked—

( a ) on that side of a section of roadway along the edge of which traffic sign number RRM 008 [double yellow lines] has been provided;

( b ) on a section of roadway where traffic sign number RUS 019 [No Parking sign] has been provided, during the period indicated on the information plate accompanying such traffic sign;

( c ) within 5 metres of a road junction;

( d ) on a section of roadway with less than 3 traffic lanes and where traffic sign number RRM 001 [continuous white line] has been provided;

causal