Caravan on the road..

gabyjane

Ok this is on behalf of my neighbours as we had a neighbourhood watch meeting last night and i am now the co-ordinator (for my sins!)..a couple of them asked about a neighbours caravan which has been left on the road for some weeks now (know this is not my job to sort but was interested incase it moves further down!)..it makes one set of neighbours lives difficult getting out of their drive but doesn't obstruct it.
Is there any legality on this as to why it shouldn't be there or is it ok to leave it? i had a feeling it had to be attatched a vehicle and it wasn't but now is..does that make a difference?
thanks!

gabyjane

Thanks i thought this was the case..they knew someone had said something last night (they never bothered going!) and strangely it has been hooked up quick style!! It would annoy me tbh and we are lucky it is not outside our house but thought id'e look into it a bit more.
Thanks again.

Silk

Hi Gaby,
As far as I'm aware it is not illegal to park a caravan on the road even unhooked, providing it's not causing an obstruction and complies with the usual parking rules such as reflectors and lights etc etc.
It is illegal to occupy a caravan parked on the road though so if they were sleeping in it etc you could get it moved.
There are sometimes some local by law's with council's which may cover it though depending on how your local council feel about caravans

withabix

Silk wrote: »

Hi Gaby,
As far as I'm aware it is not illegal to park a caravan on the road even unhooked, providing it's not causing an obstruction and complies with the usual parking rules such as reflectors and lights etc etc.
It is illegal to occupy a caravan parked on the road though so if they were sleeping in it etc you could get it moved.
There are sometimes some local by law's with council's which may cover it though depending on how your local council feel about caravans

Not true. It is illegal as the caravan is considered to be an un-taxed vehicle when not connected to the towing vehicle.

Caravans and trailers in this situation are covered by Regulation 103 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. The wording of this Regulation is what makes it illegal.

There are also several parts of the Highways Act 1980 which cover this.

A caravan not connected to a vehicle is classed as an obstruction of the highway.

Gordon861

From : https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q629.htm

Q: Can I park my caravan (trailer) on the road outside my house?
A: Possibly, from a police point of view, as long as it does not cause an obstruction. When parking your caravan try and park it as considerately as possible for other residents in the street.
The caravan MUST be lit at night if it is parked on a road and comply with the other normal parking rules (the nearside must face the pavement so the rear lights are at the rear for approaching traffic).
Some Local Councils also take a strong line on the nuisance value of the caravans and do, in some cases, take legal action. It is also worth checking with them before parking in the road.
There are sites where you can park caravans off the road, if you cannot park it on your premises.
These rules also apply to any similar trailer parked on a road.

Silk

withabix wrote: »

Not true. It is illegal as the caravan is considered to be an un-taxed vehicle when not connected to the towing vehicle.

Caravans and trailers in this situation are covered by Regulation 103 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. The wording of this Regulation is what makes it illegal.

There are also several parts of the Highways Act 1980 which cover this.

A caravan not connected to a vehicle is classed as an obstruction of the highway.

Hi withabix,
Where does it say that it's illegal if it's not causing an obstruction ???

withabix

There are quite a lot of references in quite a lot of Regulations.

For example:

Regulation 24 Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations: Other vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road at night without lights.

I don't think I've EVER seen an un-attached trailer displaying lights at night, in fact the 12v wiring on most caravans would prevent the lights from being illuminated by the internal leisure battery (if fitted).

This is, incidentally, why skips must have a working light attached to them if left on a road at night. This is also very rare.

The parking brake must be applied and be effiecient:

Regulation 89 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 provides for the leaving of trailers at rest:
No person in charge of a motor vehicle, or trailer drawn thereby, shall cause or permit such trailer to stand on a road when detached from the drawing vehicle unless one at least of the wheels of the trailer is (or, in the case of a track-laying trailer, its track are) prevented from revolving by the setting of a parking brake or the use of a chain, chock or other efficient device.

It must not cause a danger. This one is used quite often in place of 'Obstruction', as this can apply if the caravan blocks a line of site etc:

Section 22(1) Road Traffic Act 1988, as amended by Road Traffic Act 1991 states it is an offence for a person in charge of a vehicle to cause or permit the vehicle or a trailer drawn by it to remain at rest on a road in a position or in such condition or in such circumstances as to involve a danger of injury to other persons using the road.

(My local council have used this particular one on the basis that someone could trip over the drawbar!)

Silk

withabix wrote: »

Not true. It is illegal as the caravan is considered to be an un-taxed vehicle when not connected to the towing vehicle.

In order for a "vehicle" to be subject to taxation it would at some point have to be (or at one point been) self propelled ie with an engine !
A motor home with an engine removed would fall under that category but a horse drawn cart wouldn't for example.
Just because something has been disconnected from another vehicle does not mean it has to be taxed and providing it's not causing obstruction it is not illegal.

Gordon861

It would be pretty easy to rig up a set of LED bike lights to the offside of the caravan to get around the lighting rules.

Silk

withabix wrote: »

There are quite a lot of references in quite a lot of Regulations.

For example:

Regulation 24 Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations: Other vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road at night without lights.

I don't think I've EVER seen an un-attached trailer displaying lights at night, in fact the 12v wiring on most caravans would prevent the lights from being illuminated by the internal leisure battery (if fitted).

So how many cars park with their lights on overnight ?
How many skips these days do you see with lights ?
If the road is lit at night I don't think that argument holds water either

withabix

Gordon861 wrote: »

It would be pretty easy to rig up a set of LED bike lights to the offside of the caravan to get around the lighting rules.

But they probably wouldn't be positioned or operate in accordance with the Regulations which govern lights on vehicles.

IIRC the flashing lights often used on bicycles are actually illegal on bicycles for instance, but then we know how the various laws are applied to cyclists. Not.