Welford Incidents

• Vehicle Crime. Frasers Way. Both number plates stolen off car. Between 4th & 5th July. 0127 05/07/2023
• Parking Issue. Welford School, Headland Road. Report of vehicles being parked in dangerous positions, especially on the yellow zig zags. SNT will monitor the situation. 0397 03/07/2023

Is it illegal to park on zig-zag lines outside schools?

Yes, it’s always illegal to park on yellow zig-zag lines anywhere. Rule 243 of the Highway Code indicates a range of places where motorists must not park, including on a bend, a dropped kerb or the brow of a hill. It also states that drivers must not park near a school entrance, anywhere that would prevent access for emergency services or near a bus stop, tram stop or taxi rank. Again, the rule will often — but not always — be made obvious with yellow zigzags on the road.

Parking outside a school specifically may obstruct visibility for parents and children trying to cross the road and is thus highly dangerous.

What about when signs are in place?

When yellow zigzags are accompanied by a sign indicating the hours of operation, it means that between those hours parking wardens or local authority civil enforcement officers have the power to issue motorists with penalty charges for parking in the area.

Parking on a yellow zigzag without a sign or outside the indicated hours of operation does not mean that it’s legal to do so; it just means that it’s a matter for the police rather than the local authority to enforce.

Can you park opposite zig-zag lines?

Yes, but be sure to use both your own good judgement and to ensure that the place you park does not run foul of the Highway Code in other ways, such as parking too close to a junction, next to a dropped kerb, on the brow of a hill or causing an obstruction.