Parking and waiting rules

• A single yellow line means no waiting during the times shown on a nearby time-plate - outside those hours you can park unless another restriction applies.
• A double yellow line means no waiting at any time. No time-plate is needed; the double line IS the 24-hour rule.
• 'Waiting' means parking or sitting parked. You may usually stop briefly to let a passenger in or out, and to load or unload - unless kerb blips ban loading (see below).
• Short yellow marks painted on the kerb edge ('kerb blips') ban loading: one blip = loading restricted during the signed times, two blips = no loading at any time.
• Blue Badge holders can usually park on single or double yellow lines for up to 3 hours (with the clock displayed) unless there's a loading ban - but never where it would cause an obstruction.

No waiting sign & yellow linesThe sign behind the yellow-line rules→Waiting and parking rules 238-252 (gov.uk)↗The Highway Code source→

• Red lines are stricter than yellow: a double red line means no stopping at any time, a single red line means no stopping during the times on the signs.
• On a red route you can't even pause to set someone down - only marked bays (and bus-stop boxes, for buses) allow any stopping. TfL's red routes carry about a third of London's traffic on 5% of its roads, so enforcement is heavy and camera-led.
• A rural clearway (the blue disc with a red cross) is the out-of-town version: no stopping on the main carriageway for any reason, often 24 hours.
• Bus stop clearways (the yellow box marking at bus stops) mean only buses may stop there - even without red lines.

No stopping / Clearway signThe red-cross disc explained→No stopping except for busesRed-route bus stops→Bus stop sign & markingsWhy you keep the stop clear→Rules of red routes (TfL)↗→

• A CPZ entry sign sets the waiting hours for every single yellow line inside the zone - individual lines don't carry their own time-plates.
• During the zone's hours you can only park in marked bays: resident-permit, pay-and-display, or shared-use. Read the bay plate - a permit bay without a permit is a ticket even with space everywhere.
• Outside the zone's hours the single-yellow restriction lifts, but double yellows and bay rules still apply.
• The 'zone ends' sign means only that the blanket hours stop - check the kerb where you actually park, because another zone or ordinary yellow lines may start immediately.

CPZ entrance signSets the hours for the whole zone→End of CPZ signWhat changes past it→

Some places are off-limits even with no lines at all - the Highway Code (rules 238-252) bans or warns against parking in all of these:

• On zigzag lines by pedestrian crossings (an endorsable offence - this one can carry points, not just a PCN).
• Opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised space.
• On dropped kerbs for wheelchairs and prams, or across someone's driveway.
• In front of a school entrance on the yellow zigzag 'keep clear' markings.
• On the pavement in London (banned borough-wide) - and increasingly restricted elsewhere.
• Anywhere you'd double-park or block emergency access, bus stops, or cycle lanes during their hours.

• A PCN is civil: money only, no points, handled by the council or TfL - different from a police fixed penalty.
• Pay within 14 days (21 for camera-issued) and most PCNs are halved. Paying usually ends your right to challenge.
• If the ticket is wrong - unclear signs, you were loading, the machine was broken - challenge it instead: make an informal challenge first, then a formal representation, then the independent adjudicator. Photograph the signs and lines at the time.

Can I stop on a double yellow line to drop someone off?

Usually yes, briefly - waiting means parking, not a quick set-down. But not where there's a stopping ban (red route, clearway, zigzags), and never blocking a junction or crossing.

Do parking tickets put points on my licence?

No - a PCN is a civil charge, money only. The exception territory is criminal offences like stopping on crossing zigzags, which can be endorsable.

Is it worth challenging a PCN?

If the signs were missing or unclear, you were loading, or the facts are wrong - yes, and a large share of challenges succeed. Photograph everything at the scene, and remember the discount window usually pauses while a challenge is considered (check your notice).

Can I park on a single yellow line in the evening?

If the time-plate (or the CPZ entry sign) shows the restriction has ended for the day, yes - unless bay markings, double yellows, or a loading ban say otherwise.