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Question of the week

Q: When I was taught to drive I was told to park 12 inches from the kerb so passengers can step onto the road instead of the pavement but now that I am driving a wide car, this seems excessive and it made me wonder if there a legal limit on how far you should park from the kerb?

A: A: Legally, the maximum distance you are allowed to park from the kerb is 50cm (20in). However, that seems a ridiculously large gap to me and if you were to park that far from the kerb, you may confuse other road users into thinking you are stopped rather than parked. Like most people, I park about 15cm (6in) from the kerb, but might keep out a little more if there was a steep camber or debris in the gutter. By being that close, passengers can step straight onto the pavement without having to jump for it. I wouldn’t want them to have to step onto the road because the gutter is often dirty or a full of rain water. Tucking in close to the kerb also obstructs passing traffic as little as possible. The only danger of parking that close is that you might mess up and scuff the kerb, which could cause expensive damage to your tyres and wheels. So just make sure you are going dead slow before you steer in too near. In a busy town centre situation, I tend to park a little further away from the kerb than normal incase I get boxed in, to allow room to manoeuvre my wheels - but not as far as 12 inches away. If your car is very wide you may not even fit into some narrow roadside parking bays if you are 12 inches from the kerb.