How Close Can You Park to an Intersection? Restrictions & FAQ
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Shea Cummings
- Last updated:
There are a lot of rules to remember when it comes to operating a vehicle. What’s worse is they can change drastically depending on where you’re driving. But generally, you’ll need to park anywhere from 6–10 meters (20–30 feet) away from an intersection.
Failure to abide by the local laws regarding the distance you need to park can result in fines or even your vehicle being towed. Luckily, many places have plenty of signage showing you where you cannot park.
In addition to parking a certain distance from street corners, there are also some rules regarding driveways and a few other common restrictions.
Parking at an Intersection
In addition to varying between states and countries, there are also some variances depending on whether an intersection is controlled or not.
Controlled
Controlled intersections are likely one of the more common types of intersections that you’ll come across. To be considered a controlled intersection, it’ll have stop signs, yield signs, traffic lights, or any other method of controlling traffic.
Typically, you’re required to park at least 10 meters away from the corner or crosswalk if it has one.
Uncontrolled
Some intersections are uncontrolled, meaning they have none of the above methods of controlling traffic. You probably won’t encounter them much in a city or most towns.
If you do come across one, the rules are usually slightly different. Usually, you’re allowed to park a few meters closer than a controlled intersection. So, you can typically park around 6 meters from the corner for an uncontrolled intersection.
Parking at a Driveway
There are also usually laws or bylaws that dictate how far you must park from a driveway. However, they are typically a little more of a gray area than intersection distances. The distance is usually much shorter as well. Depending on where you are, it’s typically around 2 meters, or 6 feet.
Other Parking Restrictions
There are several other normal parking restrictions to be aware of in addition to keeping your distance from the corner.
- Bridges
- Tunnels
- Sidewalks
- Railroad tracks (or within 15 meters of them)
- Within three meters of a fire hydrant
Why Can’t You Park on the Corner?
The primary reason for not being allowed to park at the corner is for safety reasons. When you pull up to a busy intersection, it’s important you can see clearly both directions to ensure no vehicles are approaching.
If people were allowed to park at the corner it could make it very difficult to see, and there would likely be a lot of accidents.
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Closing Thoughts
Keep in mind that these distances will potentially vary from place to place depending on where you’re at. If it’s not clearly posted on the street you’re on, a good place to check is on the local government website. And if you can’t find any concrete information, treat these distances as minimums, but use your best judgment.
Featured Image Credit: ArtisticOperations, Pixabay
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