CITY OF LONDON

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City of London > Services > Transport and streets > Parking > Avoiding Parking Tickets
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Applying for a Resident's Car Park season ticket
Avoiding Parking Tickets
Car parks - council
Car parks - private
Coach and taxis
Disputing a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
Motorcycles and bicycles
Pay & display
Restrictions
Street parking - clamping and removal
Street parking - enforcement and fines
Street parking - zones
Traffic regulations
See also:
Disabled people - parking bays
Disabled people - parking permits - blue badge
Vehicle access - kerbs

Avoiding Parking Tickets


 The City of London and its partner Vinci Park UK were runners-up in the On-Street Parking Enforcement category of the British Parking Awards 2005

Avoiding parking tickets

Signs: read and take note of the sign at the entrance to the Controlled Parking Zones, which are usually located at the entrance to the City, so you are aware of the general times that restrictions apply. Also check at the location where you park for any additional time restrictions and for the particular restrictions which are in operation. Do not assume that because other vehicles are parked it is all right to park.

Park within the bays. during controlled hours only park in designated parking bays and check the signs to ensure you are entitled to use the bay. Also ensure your vehicle is parked entirely within the bay marking.

Ensure you have change or a valid debit or credit card. Ensure you have sufficient change to cover your intended stay. Alternatively, all our machines accept debit and credit cards. On-street you must pay as soon as you park and you cannot return and buy more time at that location.

Do not stay beyond paid for time. Ensure you return to your vehicle in good time. Do not overstay, even if you are in a queue or waiting to see someone. If you are uncertain about how long you will be, you are safer leaving your car in a car park where your stay is not limited by time.

Do not attempt to extend your stay. You can pay for a particular bay only once and you must not return within an hour. If you need to extend your parking, you must move to another parking place, eg on the other side of the street or in a different street. You cannot move to an adjacent bay.

Find out about parking in advance. When visiting a business or an individual, ask them for advice on the best place to park before starting your journey. When you arrive check the signs. If you are making a delivery or collection make sure you know where to go and who to see when you arrive.

Parking Bay suspension noticeDo not park in suspended bays. The sign showing the parking restriction will be supplemented with a bright yellow sign detailing the suspension. Suspensions apply at all times, 24 hours per day. Vehicles parked in suspended bays are likely to be removed.

Do not park in a disabled bay unless you have a European blue badge or a City of London red badge.

Do not park on the footway. There is a London-wide ban at all times on parking on any part of the footway. over which pedestrians have access . This ban applies irrespective of the ownership of the land concerned.

Do not park on a yellow line. There is a common misconception that vehicles are allowed to park on a yellow line for a short time, often quoted as five minutes. This is not the case. Vehicles are not allowed to park on a yellow line when restrictions apply. However they can stop to pick people up if the person is waiting by the kerb to be collected or drop them off at the point they disembark. Vehicles can also be left on a yellow line while they are being used for loading, unloading or making commercial deliveries or collections.

When loading or unloading ensure there is no loading ban. Some streets have additional restrictions that prevent vehicles stopping to load or unload. Loading restrictions are indicated by yellow chevrons painted on the kerb. There will also be a sign adjacent to the yellow line where restrictions apply indicating the time during which the loading restriction is in operation. Again, before delivering a load to a new location it is advisable to ask about loading restrictions so you can arrive at a time when deliveries can be made.

If you have a disabled badge check the concessions before you leave. The concessions offered by the blue badge scheme do not apply in central London (City of London, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and the southern part of Camden). Blue badge holders cannot park on yellow lines, but should use pay and display bays ( see our Disabled Parking page) or one of the 206 dedicated disabled parking bays.

General assistance

For information or assistance with on street parking please contact the City of London Parking Helpline on 020 7332 3910 or email squaremileparking@vincipark.co.uk.


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