Moving van parking for house with zigzag/double yellow lines in front of it?

t1redmonkey

Maybe a stupid question but I have had an offer accepted on a house that has zigzag lines in front of it as it's near a pedestrian crossing, and then after those there are double yellow lines.  For moving purposes, is it ok for the moving-in van to park on the double yellow lines since they will be unloading continuously?

Martin_the_Unjust

Unless signs say otherwise you can usually stop to load or unload on them.

diystarter7

Re zig zaga you are spot on.

Re double yellow, ask your local council traffic department to be sure.
Ordinarily, you can park after the zigzag ends but if there is a bend etc blind spot, asking the council is best IMO.

Slithery

No. They can't do that...
https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/legal/parking-guide-yellow-lines

They will need to park somewhere else and bring in all of your contents by hand.

user1977

In any event, they might be able to get a concession - you can ask the council around here (residents' parking zone) and pay for space to be coned off for a removal van. Presumably not on the zig-zags as that's always a safety issue, but the double yellows might be permissible.

JosephK

You could ask the removal firm, they may well have experience of such situations although some councils may apply rules more strictly than others. 

Ask the relevant council, yes, but there is always the possibility that the person you speak to will give one piece of advice and the Enforcement Officer who toddles along while unloading is taking place will see it differently.

Section62

t1redmonkey said:

Maybe a stupid question but I have had an offer accepted on a house that has zigzag lines in front of it as it's near a pedestrian crossing, and then after those there are double yellow lines.  For moving purposes, is it ok for the moving-in van to park on the double yellow lines since they will be unloading continuously?

They can park on the double yellow lines (but never white zig-zag markings) for loading/unloading, provided that there is not also a loading restriction operating at the times when they need to be there.  The loading restriction (if any) will be indicated by white vertical signs and yellow 'blips' on the kerb edge.

Different councils have different interpretations of 'loading', although there is a body of cases dealt with by the parking adjudicators that act as a good guide to what should be acceptable.

However, let the removal company make the decision rather than getting too involved yourself.  They should know what they are allowed to do, and may know what the local council's policy on loading (and dispensations) is.  If you tell them it is Ok to park on the DYL's and they get a PCN then they may try to get you to pay it because your 'advice' was wrong.  Knowing what you can and cannot do is also important though.

You mention a pedestrian crossing, so I assume you mean white zig-zags.  However, if they are yellow zig-zags (e.g. a school keep clear) then check the signs.  Some of these only restrict stopping (including loading and parking) for certain hours of the day/days of the week/term-time only.  Always check the signs with these.

diystarter7

Slithery said:

No. They can't do that...
https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/legal/parking-guide-yellow-lines

They will need to park somewhere else and bring in all of your contents by hand.

Wrong. You may be able to park there subject to the rules as per signage that is with the yellow lines.

t1redmonkey

Thanks for the info, I don't drive myself so don't have that good of a knowledge of double yellow lines.  Unfortunately the council in question (Rhondda Cynon Taf) do not have information on their website about 'exceptions' for parking on double yellow lines so I may have to check with the removal firm if they have prior experience of parking on them for loading/unloading purposes.

I suppose I can also ask the vendor what they did when they initially moved there (and what they're planning to do logistically when moving out).

Section62

t1redmonkey said:

...so I may have to check with the removal firm if they have prior experience of parking on them for loading/unloading purposes.

They almost certainly do have experience... and may get offended if you start asking them questions like that (questioning their competence)

At the very most, just say something like you want to make sure they know there is a pedestrian crossing with parking/loading restrictions at the property so they can factor that into the quote.

Section62

diystarter7 said:

Slithery said:

No. They can't do that...
https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/legal/parking-guide-yellow-lines

They will need to park somewhere else and bring in all of your contents by hand.

Wrong. You may be able to park there subject to the rules as per signage that is with the yellow lines.

To be fair, the AA's guide is also incorrect.

E.g. when loading there is no requirement that the goods are "heavy", nor do you have to "quickly stop".