Parking
General rules
- Where possible, park in the direction of traffic flow.
- Park close to and parallel with the kerb or edge of the road except at any location where perpendicular or angled parking bays are marked out on the surface of the road.
- Where a parking bay is marked out on a road you must park your vehicle fully within the parking space.
- Apply the handbrake.
- Switch off the engine.
- Leave the vehicle in first gear or reverse, or in the case of an automatic, select P.
- Before opening any doors, check for other road users nearby, in particular motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.
- Open your doors only when you need to and keep them open only for as long as necessary.
- Get out of your vehicle only when it is safe and you and your passengers are not blocking other road users.
- Passengers should exit on the kerbside.
- Lock your vehicle as you leave it.
Make sure you do not interfere with normal traffic flow and that your vehicle does not disturb, block or endanger other road users.
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The following traffic signs and road markings show where parking is not allowed or is allowed only at certain times.
Traffic signs
These signs and their information plates show that you can park only during certain periods (sign 1) or outside certain periods (sign 2).
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The sign below shows a clearway ? an area of road that must be kept clear for moving traffic during certain times of the day (usually busy periods). The times when stopping or parking is prohibited are shown on an information plate under the sign.
Other vehicles may stop during these times only if they are waiting in a line of traffic, but they are not allowed to park, even if disc or metered parking is normally available.
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Road Markings
This single yellow line usually has an upright information plate nearby. Together, the road marking and information plate mean you must not park during the times shown.
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The double yellow lines mean no parking at any time.
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No parking
Even if you do not see a particular ?no parking? sign or yellow line on the road, you must not stop or park:
- in a parking space unless you display a ?reserved for a person with a disability? permit holder. Wheelchair users need to use the extra wide special parking bay to open their car door fully. This will allow a person to get from a wheelchair to a vehicle or from a vehicle to a wheelchair. Normal parking bays are too narrow to give the access required by wheelchair users so other road users must not park in the designated disabled persons parking spaces. It is an offence to do so;
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- where there are white zig-zag lines on either side of pedestrian lights or of pelican or zebra crossings;
- wholly or partly on a zebra or pelican crossing or at pedestrian lights; 1
- 5 metres before or 5 metres after a pedestrian crossing;
- near a school entrance where there are yellow zig-zag lines along the edge of the roadway enclosing the words 'SCHOOL KEEP CLEAR';
- within an area marked as a bus stop or taxi rank - white roadway markings line the areas and, in addition show the word 'BUS' at a bus stop and 'TAXIS' at a taxi rank;
- where there is a single or double continuous white line along the centre of the road;
- wholly or partly on a footpath, a grass margin, a cycle lane or track or a median strip;
- within 5 metres of a road junction unless parking spaces are clearly marked;
- on a part of a road reserved for casual trading during trading hours;
- in a contra-flow bus lane at any time or in a with-flow bus lane during the hours the bus lane is in force;
- in a loading bay (reserved for goods vehicles to use while loading or unloading goods for a maxium period of 30 minutes) - roadway markings show the word 'LOADING' repeated across the entrance of the parking area;
- in a tram lane during the period the tram lane is in force (tram lanes operate on a 24-hour basis unless an alternative period is shown on an information plate beside the lane);
- on the approach to a level crossing;
- where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users.
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You must never park:
- at a corner, a bend, the brow of a hill or on a hump-back bridge,
- where there is a sharp dip in the road, or
- anywhere that blocks the view of a school warden or junior school warden service, the restriction does not apply to a vehicle displaying a disabled persons parking permit.
Disc parking operates in built-up areas to restrict parking during certain times of the day. You will see the regulatory sign and information plate below in an area covered by disc parking. When you park, you must buy a disc for a set period of time and remove your car by the time this period ends. You must not park again in the same street within one hour of leaving a disc-parking space. The restriction does not apply to a vehicle displaying a parking permit for a person
with a disability.
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Clamping or removing vehicles
Some local authorities have introduced systems to combat illegal parking. If your vehicle is parked illegally, a clamp may be fixed to a wheel, or your vehicle may be towed to another place and have a clamp attached there or removed and locked up in a vehicle pound. You must then pay a fee to remove the clamp and/or have your vehicle returned to you.
Dangerous parking
If you park in a way that is likely to cause danger to other road users, for example, if it forces a pedestrian out onto the roadway, a Garda can decide that this is dangerous parking and prosecute you. If you are convicted of this offence, you will receive five penalty points.
