Interesting Rule of the Week..Rule 222-225

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Silvertank

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Hampshire
Thought this was fairly topical at the moment:

Parking at night
222: You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space.
[SIZE=-1]Laws CUR reg 101 & RVLR reg 24[/SIZE]
223: All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph.
[SIZE=-1]Law RVLR reg 24[/SIZE]

224: Cars, goods vehicles not exceeding 1525kg unladen, invalid carriages and motorcycles may be parked without lights on a road (or lay-by) with a speed limit of 30 mph or less if they are
  • at least 10 metres (32 feet) away from any junction, close to the kerb and facing in the direction of the traffic flow
  • in a recognised parking place or lay-by. Other vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road at night without lights.
    [SIZE=-1]Law RVLR reg 24 [/SIZE]
225: Parking in fog. It is especially dangerous to park on the road in fog. If it is unavoidable, leave your parking lights or sidelights on.
 
Silvertank said:
225: Parking in fog. It is especially dangerous to park on the road in fog. If it is unavoidable, leave your parking lights or sidelights on.

What's interesting about rule 225 is it appears to differentiate between parking and side lights. I've been trying, and failed, to find definitions of the two.

I did read somewhere that what we call side lights the Americans call parking lights but I'm sure that is not what the Highway Code had in mind as the difference.
 
Silvertank said:
Thought this was fairly topical at the moment:

Parking at night
224: Cars, goods vehicles not exceeding 1525kg unladen, invalid carriages and motorcycles may be parked without lights on a road (or lay-by) with a speed limit of 30 mph or less if they are
  • at least 10 metres (32 feet) away from any junction, close to the kerb and facing in the direction of the traffic flow
  • in a recognised parking place or lay-by. Other vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road at night without lights.

  • Are not most Murky B's somewhat in excess of 1525 Kg? If so, it seems they should be parked, at night, displaying 'lights', given that lights means parking lights or side lights, pending a definition of what constitues parking or side lights.
 
parking lights are sided... so u can have just the left or right on whereas sidelights are both,..
 
jaymanek said:
parking lights are sided... so u can have just the left or right on whereas sidelights are both,..

That's what I thought. But I also thought that legally if lights are required when parked all four corners of the vehicle must be lit. Maybe it's yet another case of memory failure. :eek:
 
BonzoDog said:
Are not most Murky B's somewhat in excess of 1525 Kg? If so, it seems they should be parked, at night, displaying 'lights', given that lights means parking lights or side lights, pending a definition of what constitues parking or side lights.

True about the weight but I doubt if many owners register them as "goods" vehicles.
 
DieselE said:
That's what I thought. But I also thought that legally if lights are required when parked all four corners of the vehicle must be lit. Maybe it's yet another case of memory failure. :eek:


Not sure on the law but if i park in a layby or roadside i alwyas switch on the side closest to road...
 
jaymanek said:
Not sure on the law but if i park in a layby or roadside i alwyas switch on the side closest to road...
That is correct. Years ago you were able to buy clip on parking lights that you plugged into the cigarette lighter and clipped onto the door window.

They displayed red to the rear and white to the front.

Also some cars you were able to switch off the dashboard lights so only exterior lights showed and later some cars had a special ignition key position for parking lights only, no dash lights.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a mine of usless information.
 
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BonzoDog said:
Are not most Murky B's somewhat in excess of 1525 Kg? If so, it seems they should be parked, at night, displaying 'lights', given that lights means parking lights or side lights, pending a definition of what constitues parking or side lights.

If they're cars then there is now weight limit specified. The weight applies to goods vehicles.
 
DieselE said:
What's interesting about rule 225 is it appears to differentiate between parking and side lights. I've been trying, and failed, to find definitions of the two.

I did read somewhere that what we call side lights the Americans call parking lights but I'm sure that is not what the Highway Code had in mind as the difference.

I too struggled to find a definition. The Highway Code seems to talk about side lights, parking lights, dipped beam, main beam nearly all in the same context. A little bit of consistancy would be appreciated.

I'm going to write to my MP about it....!;)
 
Dieselman said:
That is correct. Years ago you were able to buy clip on parking lights that you plugged into the cigarette lighter and clipped onto the door window.

They displayed red to the rear and white to the front.

Also some cars you were able to switch off the dashboard lights so only exterior lights showed and later some cars had a special ignition key position for parking lights only, no dash lights.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a mine of usless information.

Dieselman, you must be a simular vintage to me! I remember the old Bill knocking on my door and telling me that I needed parking lights at night. However, I'm talking about the early 70's here, before, all but the top of the range cars had cigy lighters. I had to connect my light to the battery with croc' clips, happy days!
 
So presumably my opposite neighbour, who has had an unlit caravan parked on the road outside his house for the last 4 months is breaking the law?

I think we already established this but I want some documentation to back me up before I take it to the feds.
 
Shude said:
So presumably my opposite neighbour, who has had an unlit caravan parked on the road outside his house for the last 4 months is breaking the law?

I think we already established this but I want some documentation to back me up before I take it to the feds.

yes but is the road more than a 30mph zone?
 
jaymanek said:
yes but is the road more than a 30mph zone?
No.

Don't skips need lights on them if they're left on the road too?
 
i think its one of those grey areas maybe unless someone could clarify... all car lights have reflectors at the rear anyway...
 
jaymanek said:
i think its one of those grey areas maybe unless someone could clarify... all car lights have reflectors at the rear anyway...
Caravans have reflectors too. I still don't like the thing abandoned outside my house! ;)

EDIT:

COOL: http://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q629.htm

EDIT2:

I see Wirral Council take a dim view of caravans, I don't live there I'm a bit further up the coast but I wonder if Lancaster council have the same rules?

http://www.wirral.gov.uk/be/highway_enforcement.htm
 
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My guess is that if you are parked, your lights are parking lights. If you are not parked (e.g. moving/stopped, but in control of the vehicle) they are sidelights.

I have always thought that the ability to turn the lights on on one side was to give additional illumination in a 30mph zone (where parking lights are not a requirement) but they would not be legal where parking lights are required.
 
Shude said:
Caravans have reflectors too. I still don't like the thing abandoned outside my house! ;)

EDIT:

COOL: http://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q629.htm
I think the answer is quite flippant and certainly would not hold up in a court of law.

Surely we do not have a blanket right to park, or dump a vehicle\motor vehicle on an adopted road\highway?

Yes, 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. Also the caravan MUST be lit at night if it is parked on a road.


I would respectfully suggest that any parking of a vehicle on the highway will by definition cause an obstruction?? What type of answer is that? This obstruction might be authorised, but if another road user is simply inconvenienced then perhaps the law
has been contravened?

There will always be caveats about the where and how fors.

Caravans are simply not allowed to be parked on the streets of Torquay, that might well be a bye law, so also check the local authority bye laws before accepting such sweeping advice.

Regards,
John the old grouch
 
Skips are not motor vehicles (although some motor vehicles are skips!) and so must be authorised and issued a licence as they amount to an obstruction of the public highway.

Warning lights required on the skip from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Each skip must have a line of at least 4 traffic cones placed on the carriageway at 1.2m centres on the approach side of the skip, at 45 degrees to the edge of the carriageway

If you do not put cones down, light the skip or get a permit, you can be fined up to £1000 although enforcement seems to vary a lot.
 
glojo said:
I would respectfully suggest that any parking of a vehicle on the highway will by definition cause an obstruction?? What type of answer is that? This obstruction might be authorised, but if another road user is simply inconvenienced then perhaps the law has been contravened?
My car is parked on the road opposite the caravan and is probably causing just as much obstruction. The differences are that my car takes up less room, doesn't have a big metal pole sticking out of one end, has lights and reflectors on it, is a lot more stable and the top half is mostly glass so people can see through it. In addition to this if someone asked me to move my car I could quickly drive it somewhere else. The caravan takes up the room of two cars (the owner also has a couple of cars) and I'm fairly certain that a month or two ago he had "guests" staying in it! :eek:
 

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