Zigzag Lines

You’ll find zigzag lines on pretty much all crossings. Whether it’s a zebra crossing, a pelican crossing, puffin crossing, toucan crossing or equestrian crossing, zigzag lines are there and they are there for a reason.

Zigzag lines were introduced in the early 70s and started off being beside zebra crossings. As time went by they were added to other types of pedestrian crossings. First when they were laid they were placed on the road just before the kerb but with the introduction of islands in the middle of the road you often see zigzag lines also in the middle of the road.

You must never park or block zigzag lines unless it’s an emergency. By parking on zigzag lines you are blocking the pedestrian’s view of oncoming traffic and you are also blocking the traffics view of the pedestrians in or around the crossing.

You should also never overtake the leading vehicle on the approach to the zigzag lines. If you do overtake on zigzag lines you may find your view of the crossing is obstructed and the pedestrians view of any oncoming vehicles will also be obstructed.

There are different coloured zigzag lines. White zigzag lines are the ones on the approach to a crossing. White zigzag lines are enforceable by the council so the council can issue a parking ticket to anyone that is parked there even for a moment. Similarly the police can also issues fines here as it is considered a dangerous place to park your car. If police do fine you for parking on a zigzag line you may also find yourself with penalty points as well as a parking fine.

Yellow zigzag lines are often found outside schools, ambulance entrances, police entrances and hospital entrances. There is usually a sign to indicate the days and times that you cannot park on them. A typical sign for zigzag lines outside a schools entrance is 08:00 to 16:30 Monday to Friday. This is simply because the schools do not want parents or guardians parking directly outside the schools entrance as this can pose danger to children as children are renowned for running to and from school and having cars parked directly outside a schools entrance can inevitably lead to an accident.

So to summarise here, avoid parking on zigzag lines unless it’s an emergency and never overtake on or around zigzag lines especially at the approach to a crossing.