Can I Drive A Commercial Vehicle Through The Service Road In Central Park

Equally a trader, you lot probably use a van on a regular basis to make certain you can movement equipment and materials to customers' homes.

Just as you lot'll know, information technology can be hard finding somewhere to park virtually their properties. Go it wrong and you risk having to fork out for parking fines.

It's worth request customers near available parking earlier visiting them. If you tin use their driveway or land, it's unlikely to crusade problems as you lot'll exist on their private holding.

Simply if not, we've looked at what you'll need to consider before parking upwardly – including some surprising rules for parking at night.

Requite your customers conviction that they're using a business organization they tin can count on. Become a Which? Trusted Trader.

Where you tin and can't legally park

A parking fine on a windscreen

The good news is that, in near cases, you tin park your van as you would park a car. Yous just need to brand certain you park legally, don't block traffic and don't cause a danger to pedestrians or other road users.

The Highway Lawmaking says vehicles tin can park:

in off-street parking areas
in parking trophy on the road marked out with white lines
on the roadside, facing the direction of traffic, as long equally no restrictions utilise on that route.

Merely the rules say you lot must not:

park or wait on double xanthous lines at whatever time
park or look on unmarried yellowish lines during the times shown on any signs
park or wait on schoolhouse entrance markings or anywhere with signs that say you can't (eg red routes)
park or stop on a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zigzag lines
park in spaces reserved for specific users, such as Blue Badge holders, residents or motorcycles (unless you're entitled to)
leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous place or where it blocks the road
park on the pavement in London, and you shouldn't do this elsewhere unless signs permit it
park in areas such as taxi trophy and wheel lanes.

It besides warns drivers not to park in areas such every bit opposite a junction, near a school archway or in front of the entrance to someone'south dwelling house. You can read the full list of places you shouldn't park on the Gov.u.k. website.

Large goods vehicles

If you have to employ a large commercial vehicle which has a maximum loaded weight of more than 7.5 tonnes, yous must not park it on a verge, pavement or any land betwixt carriageways, unless you take police permission.

The merely exception to this rule is if yous're loading and unloading, as long as someone stays with your vehicle at all times.

Loading and unloading

Two men loading furniture into a van

Don't load or unload your equipment, materials or goods where there are yellow markings on the kerb and signs proverb restrictions are in place.

On red routes, look out for specially marked bays showing when and where loading and unloading is permitted.

Councils and private estates might have their own rules in addition to the Highway Code, then keep an heart out for signs. For example, you may be able to park along some roads for brusque periods of time simply to load or unload goods.

Parking vans at nighttime

Did yous know at that place are unlike rules for parking at night, peculiarly if you lot have a larger van?

If you lot park any vehicle on a road at night, you lot have to face the direction of traffic, unless y'all're in a marked parking infinite.

And if the speed limit of that road is more than 30mph, you must accept your parking lights on at all times.

But if your vehicle is a larger van with a maximum loaded weight of more than than ii.5 tonnes (eg a Ford Transit), you lot have to brandish parking lights if yous leave it on any road overnight, regardless of the speed limit.

Parking your van near your own abode

If you lot keep your work van at your own dwelling, tell your insurer and check you're covered, especially if information technology's a company van.

Make sure you lot know almost whatever parking restrictions that employ on your road or estate. Some permit parking might only be for cars, or could only apply if yous're the registered owner.

Even if you're using your ain driveway, your home could have a clause in the deeds to forbid y'all parking a van there, although luckily this is rare.

Parking vans in residential areas tin can cause problems with neighbours, fifty-fifty when you're non legally doing anything wrong. To avoid disputes, endeavour not to park where your van could block light getting into people's homes, or where yous might restrict their view when they're pulling in and out of their driveway.