Parking on curb

[creativegoblin]

I visited a friend in London yesterday and parked on their street. Yellow lines one side of street and none on the other. Every car was half parked on curb. There was a space available so I parked half on the curb like everyone else. No parking restrictions.
When I left (about 4-5 hours later) all cars were gone and there was a ticket on my car! I had another look up and down the street and there were no parking restrictions. Having done some research am I right in finding out that you are never allowed to park on the curb in London? If so how come every other car was parked this way? Is there a secret only Londoners know as to what time to park on the curb? I should challenge this ticket right?

I didn’t think you were allowed to park on the kerb anywhere. Sounds like the other cars might’ve known the times least likely to be caught doing it and chanced it. I don’t think you’ve any recourse on this one.

There are sometimes actual parking spaces marked half road/half pavement in London, and sometimes signs indicating you can park that way in certain streets. But generally, no you cannot park on the kerb anywhere in London. I don't think you'll get far with challenging. May be the other cars had left when the ticket was issued?

The strange thing is there were about 20 cars parked this way when I parked. They were all parking illegally then? I feel like i've been pranked.

It's not a unique law to London. 🙄

The law was passed because selfish arseholes parking on the pavement stop disabled people in wheelchairs and people pushing double buggies from being able to go down the pavement, putting them in danger as they have to go into the road to go around selfishly parked vehicles who are more worried about scratching their paint than endangering the lives of other humans.

If everyone was jumping off a bridge would you do it too?

The kerb is part of the pavement. That's why it's there, to separate it from the road. Just because people park on it doesn't mean it's legal, as you found out. And no, it's not just a London thing.

Actually having done some research it could be a unique law to London. Think before you type!
There was more than enough room for a wheelchair , double buggy or triple buggy on the pavement actually. I'm not sure why you are asking me if I would jump off a bridge. Do you have vertigo?

Parking on the pavement - is it illegal? The definitive answer | RAC Drive
So London seems to be different from rest of UK

They may have also got tickets but also just left before you did?

Surely your friend would know if there were timescales or something and should have advised?

A lot of places don't allow kerb parking. It's part of the pavement so not for cars (we live in one of the few area that turns a blind eye mainly because the road markings for parking are too narrow for a car - it has been clarified by the council/parking wardens)

To be fair I didn't mention to my friend as I didn't think it was an issue before I realised it was. She doesn't have a car.

Did you properly check the restrictions?

Even with yellow lines in London you need to triple check the restrictions for that piece of road.

While where I live it is clear where you need to park on the kerb, in a place I used to live near it wasn't. In addition every week they had to park on the other side of the road and always facing traffic.

I live in the North and don’t drive but I knew that regulation. How do you know that the other cars didn’t get tickets?

In a few places there are signs directing you to park half on and half off the pavement. I'm in London and there are a few round us. I hate it- it's the ultimate prioritisation of cars over pedestrians. Perhaps it was allowed in specified bays and you were outside them?

Are you very sure there were no parking restrictions? That's quite rare.

I walked up and down the road to specifically look for restrictions and there were none! I'll now assume you never can unless there's a dotted parking line. There's always something to catch you out!

Im not sure if you could park where you were, I'm not there, but to confirm, round here (in London) the parking bays sre half on the curb and half on the road, thus allowing lorries and ambulances etc down the streets. It may or may not be limited to London, thay I don't know, but If I saw 20 cars parked this way it wouldn't be unusual to Me, due to living in London..

In Belgium you just get towed for parking on kerb or pavement, happened to a few cars at a sporting event we were attending.

@SisterMichaelsHabit
"If everyone was jumping off a bridge would you do it too? "

This is such a silly, irrelevant and po-faced question.

Having looked for restrictions and found none, the OP copied the locals. Turned out it was a mistake, but that's a major bummer rather than an act of stupidity.

Here (SW) everyone parks on the curb if it is necessary for access. I don’t think it would be a huge problem outside of a city, but in a city it’s different isn’t it?

I thought it was illegal in London but compulsory in most of Essex

The only thing I can presume is that you parked in a space that wasn't actually a parking space. It happens on the road where I live.

People park in what they think is a space. It is either not as it is in front of an emergency exit for a building or it is a car club space.

Oh and you actually must park fully on the pavement or on the kerb on some parts of my road, otherwise you will get a ticket. There as in other parts you will get a ticket if you don't park fully on the road. This includes Sunday when the permit parking restrictions aren't in place.

😄

Agree @Isittimeformynapyet

It's not a unique law to London.

I can't speak for the whole of the UK, to say if it is unique or not, but it certainly isn't the law around the rest of country. You can't block / obstruct the pavement, but there are millions of roads across the country where it makes sense to put 2 wheels on the kerb - leaving enough room for double buggies / power wheelchairs, and also leaving enough room for buses, ambulances and fire engines to pass.

It's been the case in London for as long as I can remember that you cannot park on the kerb unless there are marked bays and signage to tell you that you can do so.