The following is a post on one of the caravan forums and I'm unable to convince the OP that his interpretation is wrong. The comma following 'cars' denotes a separate group, and thus the legislation only forbids goods vehicles with an ULW greater than 1525 kg to park without lights, rather than a blanket ban on all cars over 1525 kg unladen weight.
To avoid ambiguity there should have been semi colons rather than commas.
Perhaps DVD could comment.
"According to the highway code section 250 if the unladen weight of your vehicle is heavier than 1525 kg when parked on a 30 mph road you need lights in the hours of darkness. See extract from:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069860
250
Cars, goods vehicles not exceeding 1525 kg unladen weight, invalid carriages, motorcycles and pedal cycles may be parked without lights on a road (or lay-by) with a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) or less if they are
■at least 10 metres (32 feet) away from any junction, close to the kerb and facing in the direction of the traffic flow
■in a recognised parking place or lay-by
Other vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road at night without lights.
So you Disco, M270, Range Rovers, Jeeps etc......... need watch out I think.
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Many years since i've heard of anyone getting done for no parking lights, you could and would get done in a truck years ago, Tolemans for example used to fit a single front and back parking light for all their drivers who were on dodgy's in A45 and A12 layby's whilst safely tucked up in bed at home, or elsewhere, never in the truck...;)
A mate lived in a crescent in a village without a 30 limit, following complaints the old bill went round and ticketed every parked car/van, again thats a lifetime ago but it caused a big commotion as few realised the light requirements.
Its not something i've ever been nicked for, car or truck, but i try to use some common sense when parked, so long as you are safely parked the correct way round and reasonably visible rather than the vehicle just abandoned then most unlikely to get a ticket.
Who had one of those little clip on side lights that you trapped in the drivers window?
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>> Who had one of those little clip on side lights that you trapped in the
>> drivers window?
>>
I remember them well. Superior cars had a fixed light on the driver's B-post. I have recently bought a Triumph 2000 with one. It doesn't work, or at least I can't find the switch.
But it's a nice bit of motoring nostalgia.
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I hope this can be kept on topic rather than drift from the legal basis of ULW. I really want a reponse about interpretation.
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>> I hope this can be kept on topic rather than drift from the legal basis
>> of ULW. I really want a reponse about interpretation.
>>
I agree with your interpretation, but of course that's only my personal opinion, not a legal fact.
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>> Superior cars had a fixed light on the driver's B-post. I
>> have recently bought a Triumph 2000 with one. It doesn't work, or at least I
>> can't find the switch.
>>
My old MB, as do most probably but i don't know or ever will about the new cars, has a natty light switch, when you return to the urpight off position there are two clicks anti clockwise, one puts offside side lights only, next click nearside sides.....never used it except by mistake..;)
Incidentally back to topic, i seem to recall a layby without a separating section isn't classed as a layby for lit parking requirements, is that still the case?, was it ever?
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 15 Apr 12 at 11:41
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I've actually had to deal with one this very morning.
Road to our place runs off the A40 dual carriageway on a slip road, then round a wide but fairly blind bend. For the last two or three weeks there's been an artic parked there for the weekend, one of Nolan's Irish vehicles; presumably the driver lives locally.
Road is NSL and leads to a feed mill and several farms, hence there's quite a bit of traffic up and down there usually lorries and tractors. We had one accident a few weeks ago when a bulk tipper ran into an unlit straw trailer parked further up the road, so rather than phone the police I called Nolan's office and asked if the driver could find an alternative parking space in future. Better that than him getting a ticket or causing an accident.
I too have always understood that the ban relates to goods vehicles, basically anything bigger than a large Transit van.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Sun 15 Apr 12 at 12:40
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A caravan parked for several days on a busy, well lit 30 limit road near here was rear ended recently. I don't know the legal position on lights but many folk suffer from common sense failure.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 15 Apr 12 at 12:50
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>> I too have always understood that the ban relates to goods vehicles, basically anything bigger than
>> a large Transit van.
I would think the 1525kg figure was in place long before today's airbagged, safety-barred max-height max-length Sprinters and Transits became commonplace. An unladen example of one of these now weighs more like 2200kg, but how many of their drivers take that into account for parking legislation etc? Not many, I'll bet.
To Robbie34, I read the original piece the same as you; i.e. the weight limit only applies to goods vehicles and not to cars. Range Rovers, Discoverys etc would be treated as cars for the purpose of HC Rule 250, not sure about Toyota Hiluxes, Mitsubishi Warriors etc though...
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>> To Robbie34, I read the original piece the same as you; i.e. the weight limit
>> only applies to goods vehicles and not to cars. Range Rovers, Discoverys etc would be
>> treated as cars for the purpose of HC Rule 250, not sure about Toyota Hiluxes,
>> Mitsubishi Warriors etc though...
The OP has now acknowledged that my interpretation was correct. Apparently, a PC, who had also been in traffic, originally agreed with him, but later admitted he was wrong.
Amazing that a PC could get it wrong.
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>> Who had one of those little clip on side lights that you trapped in
>> the
>> drivers window?
I forgot to connect mine whilst staying overnight with a young lady..........
My first ever ticket.
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Round where I travel into work in Croydon there seems to be an ever increasing number of unlit skips placed on the main road, I just waiting to find one with some kind of vehicle imbedded in the back.
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Skips, they really are dangerous unlit, usually in colours of rust that just vanish into the gloom.
You can nearly walk into them let alone driving.
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reminds me of the victor meldrew sketch with the 2CV in the skip outside his house...cant seem to find it on yootoobe
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My interpretation.
Under 1525kg ULW can be parked in a 30MPH area without displaying obligatory parking lights provided nearside to kerb and not within 15M of a junction. Anything over or with a trailer attached should display parking lights.
Now that's straight from the grey matter and some of the figures might be out.
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>> My interpretation.
>>
>> Under 1525kg ULW can be parked in a 30MPH area without displaying obligatory parking lights .................
"Cars, goods vehicles not exceeding 1525 kg unladen weight, invalid carriages, motorcycles and pedal cycles ............."
My interpretation is that since the various types of vehicle are seperated into clearly different categories, as denoted by the commas, the weight limit only applies to goods vehicles.
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Parking Without Lights - R.P.
