Stopped on a double yellow

[PuncturedBicyclette]

DS usually walks to school. Today it was chucking it down, so I drove him. Stopped briefly on double yellows outside the school. NOT on the zigzags. No kerb markings or other signs. As far as I know it's fine to stop (not park) on a double yellow, to let passengers out.

Was there 30 seconds. Stopped, DS got out, I left.

As I was pulling back out, man on bike shouts through my window "Do you know it's f*ing double yellows?". I reply "Yes thank you, I was letting a passenger out". He swears at me again and cycles off.

I'm not doing any thing wrong, am I?

You can stop on double yellows like pps have said. A single white line is no stopping for any reason.

Unfortunately she's not. Double yellows mean no waiting at any time. Single yellows mean you can drop people off / load or unload etc subject to restrictions.

You might want to check your facts there.

The link you posted makes it clear that's the exception, rather than the rule.

The general rule, as stated in the link you posted, is no waiting at any time.

I love these threads where people just make up their own rules but then post them so confidently. A quick google shows this is allowed.

I used to live on a street with double yellows and no drive and I often stopped the car outside my house to unload.

For what it's worth, where I live there's a main road where, every lunch time when I go for a walk, there's a constant stream of taxis and delivery vans on double yellows, picking up/dropping of passengers, making deliveries, and so on. Often for quite a long time.

I stop for 30 seconds to let a passenger out, which I think is OK, and I get sworn at. Hence wondering if IABU.

That was for single yellow lines. The attached is what is says for double. Unless her child is 'heavy goods' she can't unload them on double yellows

You mean this one?

"Double yellow lines indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time even if there are no upright signs."

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/waiting-and-parking-238-to-252

(i) Which "link posted"?
(ii) I think you'll find it says "no waiting at any time" on double yellows. Pausing briefly to let a passenger out is not "waiting". This would be prohibited by a "no stopping" restriction, but double yellow lines do not indicate such a restriction.

Btw blue badge holders can also generally park on double yellows as long as it’s not causing a dangerous obstruction. They’re generally there to aid traffic flow. Double red lines mean no stopping at all

The highway code makes it clear it's not.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/waiting-and-parking-238-to-252

"Double yellow lines indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time even if there are no upright signs."

Wrong picture (not link 🙄)

Yes but ‘waiting’ has a different meaning to dropping off passengers or loading and unloading.

It is waiting. Letting a passenger out, picking one up, even if you're only 10 seconds - it is still waiting.

Pausing for whatever reason is waiting.

From the police.

• Can I ever stop on double yellow lines?
• You can only stop to load or unload (unless there are no loading restrictions) or while passengers get in or out.

HTH

Look, as a cyclist you had probably made his journey a lot more hazardous and he was venting.
Also, as he was passing by he wouldn’t have been aware how long you had been parked there.

If you knew you were legally ok to do it then why are you bothered? Personally I would have been slightly more empathetic as I know how chaotic the roads get when it rains, visibility is poor, and it’s far more risky for cyclists.

What are double red lines for then if double yellows mean no stopping at all (which they don't).

Not when talking about road and traffic laws.

Eh? No. A single white line just marks the edge of the carriageway. It doesn't have any meaning in terms of stopping or waiting restrictions.

Double red is no stopping at all. Not great to stop in double yellows near a school though

There’s a road in Bradford that is really tight to turn out of. Obviously it has double yellows. It’s also fairly near the town centre.
The amount of times I’ve watched large vehicles trying to get round a car that has put a disabled badge in the window and not given a moment’s thought to why the yellow lines are there. Really annoys me.

Op your dc will not melt in a drop of rain on top of which the lines are there to stop people like you from endangering children’s lives. Yabu.

We can nitpick about the language all day. I reckon it's still pretty unsafe to be stopping to let people out on the double yellows outside the school when it's likely there'll be kids crossing and visibility reduced because of the rain.

Just so someone's little darling doesn't get a bit of rain on them. It's chaos outside my children's school when it's raining as people need to drop off as close as possible and don't give a fuck about those trying to walk.

You can stop to let people in or out of the vehicle or to unload

I agree that it's likely quite selfish, whether you're legally in the right or not.

I think people are confused about "waiting" - this is not the same as stopping to drop off or pick up a passenger or to unload a vehicle.