Section 19 — Road Traffic Act 1988: Prohibition of parking of HGVs on verges, central reservations and footways.

Prohibition of parking of HGVs on verges, central reservations and footways. 19 1 Subject to subsection (2) below, a person who parks a heavy commercial vehicle (as defined in section 20 of this Act) wholly or partly—

a on the verge of a road, or b on any land situated between two carriageways and which is not a footway, or c on a footway, is guilty of an offence.

2 A person shall not be convicted of an offence under this section in respect of a vehicle if he proves to the satisfaction of the court—

a that it was parked in accordance with permission given by a constable in uniform, or b that it was parked in contravention of this section for the purpose of saving life or extinguishing fire or meeting any other like emergency, or c that it was parked in contravention of this section but the conditions specified in subsection (3) below were satisfied.

3 The conditions mentioned in subsection (2)(c) above are—

a that the vehicle was parked on the verge of a road or on a footway for the purpose of loading or unloading, and b that the loading or unloading of the vehicle could not have been satisfactorily performed if it had not been parked on the footway or verge, and c that the vehicle was not left unattended at any time while it was so parked.

4 In this section “ carriageway ” and “ footway ”, in relation to England and Wales, have the same meanings as in the Highways Act 1980.