What are Australia’s No Parking Rules?

Australian councils and governments have implemented no parking rules and install parking signs to remind drivers where they can and can’t park. Parking signs that enforce no parking rules must comply with Australian standards to make them easy to understand. And this is not always an easy thing to do!  

These signs typically have large letters and numbers indicating the days and hours when parking restrictions apply. The purpose is to make them as clear and as possible to understand, and easy to read while driving.

You should always carefully read any parking signs each time you park your car. Clearly parking restrictions vary across states, and suburbs.

When and for how long you can park often varies on the time of day, day of the week or whether there are special events. A really easy example of this is clearways. When it’s peak hour traffic, typically clearways are installed which means you can’t park your car there for those hours. The reason is that you need that extra lane to keep traffic flowing smoothly and avoid traffic jams. So lesson is don’t ever park in a clearway as your car will likely be towed away!

Thatsmyspot is also passionate about providing customers with professional and fit-for-purpose parking bollard solutions that relate to parking signs for your parking needs.

No Parking 🅿️

Let’s start with some simple rules in New South Wales. As a basic rule your parked car cannot block the flow of traffic, or cause any sort of danger to other drivers or road users.

In NSW, you are not allowed to stop or park your car in these situations:

• double park – where you park your car next to another parked vehicle
• across someone’s driveway (unless you are picking up or dropping off passengers)
• on a median strip (unless there’s a sign saying you can park there)
• Definitely not on a traffic island or within an intersection (can you imagine parking your car at the traffic lights and the havoc that would cause)!
• On a pedestrian walkway or at children’s crossing
• On footpaths or nature strips (unless a sign specifically says you can!)
• For pretty obvious reasons, not on a railway level crossing (don’t like your chances up against a speeding train!)
• In a slip lane on a highway or freeway, unless a sign specifically permits it.
• And you always need to follow parking signage which puts rules around when and for how long you car park there (go back to the clearway example at the beginning of this article).

For people who have disabled parking permits (also known as mobility parking scheme permits), they are allowed to stop for up to five minutes in the situations listed above.

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No Parking Signs

It should be pretty obvious, but where there’s a “No Parking” sign, it means you cannot park there. But do know that you can stop there for less than 2 minutes as long as you stay within 3 metres of your vehicle, only if you’re dropping or picking off passengers or loading or unloading goods.

No Stopping 🛑

There’s a reason that NO STOPPING signs are always RED! 🛑 🛑 🛑

No stopping signs are a traffic control device. These signs mean you must not stop at all (not even to drop off or pick something up like the No Parking sign). They are usually in clearways, or at intersections along kerbs. The only time that there’s an exception to this is for emergencies. Often to re-iterate the no stopping sign, you may sign a yellow line along the side of the kerb where the No Stopping zone is located. Fines for stopping in NO STOPPING zones are very expensive, your car is likely to be towed away and if it causes danger to traffic, may also incur demerit points.

Disabled Parking Spaces ♿

These spots are reserved for people with disabilities and cannot be used by anyone else unless they have a valid disability parking permit (issued under the NSW Mobility Parking Scheme for example) displayed in their vehicle. We have a lot of customers at ThatsMySpot who install parking bollards on private property to ensure only authorized drivers with disability permits can use disabled parking spaces.

Double Yellow lines 🛣️

In New South Wales, the rules say you cannot park within 3 metres of any double yellow lines (also known as double dividing lines). These double yellow lines are the central road dileneators dividing traffic going in opposite directions

Bus Zones and Bus Stops 🚌 🚏

You must not park within 20m before and 10m after a bus stop. If the bus stop doesn’t operate at all times, sometimes you’re allowed to park at the bus stop when it’s not in use (eg. That bus route doesn’t operate after 8 pm). But read the signage carefully to make sure you can park there.

Of course, unless you’re driving a public bus, so of course you can stop there!

Tram stops  🚋🚏

In Melbourne’s CBD, we use trams just as much as buses. So the rules around parking near tram stops are very similar to buses. In Victoria, you’re not allowed to park within 20 metres of a ‘Tram Stop’ or ‘Tram Stop Request’ sign.

Intersections and Pedestrian Crossings 🚸

It’s pretty clear why you cannot and should not park near an intersection or pedestrian crossing. Safety of the pedestrians. If you park near an intersection or crossing, you’re just blocking visibility and it’s more likely to cause danger and harm to pedestrians. It also limits the turning space for drivers using the intersection.

So the rules are pretty clear:

• Do not park within 20m of a traffic light intersection (unless a sign says you can) 🚦

• Do not park within 10 metres before of a non-traffic light intersection, again unless a sign says you can. Or it’s a T-intersection, and you park along the continuous side of the continuing road ⬆️

• Do not park within 20 metres before, or 10 metres after,  any non-traffic light pedestrian crossing or children’s pedestrian crossing. 🚶🏻

• Do not park within 20 metres either side of a level railway crossing! (yes the train will win!) 🚂

Taxi Zones 🚕

The taxi zone is a designated area for taxis to pick up and drop off passengers.

Only registered taxis are permitted to stop at a taxi zone – commercial passenger vehicles are not allowed.

Some taxi zones are marked with certain hours during which they operate as taxi zones. Outside of those hours, you can stop or park your car there. 

Loading zone 🚚

Pretty self-explanatory, – a loading zone is a designated area where vehicles can stop to load or unload items. Loading zones forming part of Australia’s no parking rules are sign-posted to clearly explain when it is or is not permissible to stop.

Drivers may park in a loading zone for up to 30 minutes if:

• they drive a vehicle made to transport items and are engaged in the pick-up or drop-off of goods For example, a driver delivering music equipment at a venue.
• they drive public buses, picking up and dropping off passengers.

Additional time of day and day of week restrictions may also apply in loading zones so be sure to read the signs carefully.

Loading zones can be used by regular cars only to stop to pick up or drop off passengers.

Bike lanes 🚴

All cities in Australia now have a single dedicated cyclist lane adjacent to the kerb of the road on most major roads. So the no parking rules have been extended to cover bike lanes as well. You will see bike lanes are clearly marked with signs at the beginning, along the way and at the end of the land.  Bike lanes are also often painted green and have white bicycle symbols painted at regular intervals along the lane.

Bike lanes were created as a state government initiative to provide legal and reasonably unobstructed road space for cyclists and improve road safety. It is illegal to partially park a vehicle in a bike lane during the hours shown on the bike lane sign. If the sign doesn’t show the hours, the bike path runs his 24 hours.

Do not stop on the bike path for any reason! This is considered a serious offence and carries severe penalties.

Works zone 👷

With so much construction work going on in Australia at the moment, works zones are becoming much more frequent. It’s illegal to stop in a works zone during the zone hours unless unless your vehicle is registered to be used for construction work. Works zones usually only operate during construction hours.

Post box 📮

Did you know there’s an Australia Post box no parking rule? It’s illegal to stop your car in a mail zone unless you are an Australia Post employee or contractor with clear signage.

This rule is primarily in place for safety of post people picking up or dropping mail. You must not stop within 3 meters of a mailbox, except to drop off or drop off a passenger.

Stopping near a fire hydrant 🚒

You must not stop or park within 1m of a fire hydrant, fire hydrant indicator, or fire plug indicator.

Stopping across driveway

You must not stop in your own or another’s driveway, or park so close to the driveway that it impedes the entry or exit of a vehicle. This is another one of Australia’s more elusive no parking rules.

Park Politely! 😃

I always think it’s important to park politely. Its terrible when someone parks you so closely in that you think you need a can opener to get your car out. So park politely! There’s a parking rule which says you must not park within 1m of another vehicle parked in front or behind (but not when angle parking).

Be aware of Australia’s no parking signs. It will ensure you comply with the law and help you avoid a fine. By following these no parking rules, you’ll be keeping other drivers and pedestrians safe while ensuring that traffic flows smoothly. Need help to make sure drivers follow parking signs at your residential apartment, commercial business office. Call us at thatsmyspot ! We are the premier supplier of no parking bollards for drivers and businesses across Australia.