Parking on the highway can cause obstruction to other road users.
Parking restrictions control where and when people can park. They are very important for:
- reducing congestion, as parked cars can mean narrower roads which cause traffic jams and delays
- increasing road safety, as parked vehicles can block visibility particularly at junctions
- making sure emergency vehicles and refuse vehicles can get past
From April 2015, the Deregulation Act 2015 restricted the number of parking contraventions that we can enforce using CCTV.
We can only use CCTV to enforce parking at bus stops and school entrances. We will continue to enforce in these areas to increase safety and help the free flow of traffic.
Types of parking restriction
Yellow line waiting restrictions
- help traffic to move freely and improve road safety
- marked on the road at locations where there is a need to control or restrict parking and to prevent obstruction
Double yellow lines
- parking is restricted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - also known as ‘at any time’
- this type of restriction no longer needs to be signed
Single yellow lines
- parking is restricted at some time of the day
- the days and times of the restrictions will be shown on a yellow sign
- the exception is yellow lines within Controlled Parking Zones
Yellow loading restriction kerb blips
- loading restrictions are shown by yellow lines on the edge of the kerb
- this means that loading and unloading is not allowed during the times shown on the nearby white signs
- you can report faded yellow lines or request new lines to be installed
White lines
- white lines draw attention to dropped kerbs
- they can only be enforced if a vehicle is obstructing access to a driveway
- you can request to have a white line installed by the council at a cost
Red routes
You can identify red routes by a single or double red line on the side of the road.
Red routes in Sutton are:
- A24 Stonecot Hill and London Road, North Cheam
- A217 Belmont Rise, St Dunstans’ Hill, Oldfields Road and Reigate Avenue
- A232 Ewell Road, Cheam Road, Carshalton Road, Pound Street, High Street (Carshalton), Acre Lane and Croydon Road
- A297 St Helier Avenue
Transport for London manages Red Routes across London. This includes parking enforcement as well as street lighting, trees and road maintenance.
Footway parking
Parking on the footway means parking with one or more wheels on:
- pavements
- dropped kerbs
- grass verges
There is a ban across London on parking on the footway and we enforce this in Sutton.
Do not park on the footway, even over your own dropped kerb. The only exception is if there are signs and white bay markings that say you can.