Bewdley Parking

Once again the parking in Bewdley has made the letter pages of the Shuttle and once again it seems that most people still aren't aware of the actual laws that govern this activity.


To quickly recap from my many posts there are roughly four types of 'parking' parking itself, waiting, stopping, and loading/unloading. Kerbside markings indicate which of these types you may or may not do; in addition there are other restrictions such as causing hazards, obstructions, etc. as well as more lax restrictions for those with disabled badges or those performing work. Also I think it's worth mentioning there is a difference between on-road and off-road parking.

Cynical Sid has produced a motley selection of 'parking' photographs in Bewdley. I'll start top left and work in a clockwise spiral:

Blue van on double yellow lines. It is possible to stop and load/unload here (in that I see no loading restrictions) however it seems said van is blocking the carriageway. This would be obstruction and is a police matter.

Royal Mail van parked on lane separator. If the edges were solid white than you cannot enter it except in an emergency. If they are broken as is the case here you can enter it only if it is safe to do so. Strictly speaking there are no restrictions on parking within one. It may however be classed as obstruction or unsafe and is in either case a police matter.


Black car on junction. Difficult to see if there are double yellow lines here. Not an offence if the vehicle is stopped or loading/unloading. Being parked that close to a junction and not in a marked bay is a DO NOT rather than a MUST NOT in the Highway Code and is therefore not an offence. However it may be classed as unsafe and is a police matter.

Blue van. As with the other blue van this may not be an offence, but certainly appears to be obstruction and is therefore a police matter.

Red lorry. Not what most people think. There are no laws regarding how a vehicle is parked in a bay, nor in terms of double-parking. However it may be classed as unsafe and would be a police matter.

[Update - double parking is restricted in "Special Enforcement Areas" according to WFDC an SEA covers "the towns of Kidderminster, Bewdley and Stourport and outlying areas with Wyre Forest." this also makes parking besides dropped kerbs an offence. Amusingly(or not) no notice needs to be made of this little arrangement; are you in an SEA or not? You're not going to know until you get a ticket.

Oh and this doesn't always apply to loading/unloading either]

Silver car. Could be stopping or loading/unloading. If parked or waiting it is ticketable.

Blue car in bus stop. Unless broken down it is ticketable. The thick yellow line indicates a clearway.

White van. Again not what most people think. Outside of London it is not an offence to park on the pavement unless specific notices are applied. However with the complete blockage of the pavement this could be classed as obstruction and would be a police matter.

[Update - to emphasise this. Unless there are restrictions such as double yellow lines or specific notices prohibiting it, it's not an offence to park on a pavement outside of London. Which does make one wonder why WFDC has it listed here while simultaneously stating that "Keeping footways clear where there are no parking restrictions will remain the responsibility of the police"]

White lorry. No loading/unloading restrictions; not blocking the carriageway. No offence.

White lorry in bus stop. Clearly loading/unloading. Ticketable.

Jeep type vehicle. Could be stopping or loading/unloading. If parked or waiting it is ticketable.

Black car. Could be stopping or loading/unloading. If parked or waiting it is ticketable.

White lorry in bus stop. Again unless broken down it is ticketable.

Black mini-van next to pedestrian crossing. If on the zig-zag lines - ticketable.

There I hope that's cleared some of the points up. A fair few of those couldn't be dealt with by Civil Parking Enforcement and the police would need to contacted; hopefully by the CPE officers.