afternoon all, can any of you good folk tell me if you can leave your caravan on the street when not using,we dont have access to a car park looked on line but getting mixed views on the subject any answers to this many thanks
They can be parked on the road, but must not cause an obstruction, and must be lit at night, and comply with parking rules (EG facing into on coming traffic).
You may still find that your local council don't like it though and ask you to remove it. Especially if they receive any complaints from your neighbours.
Oh and check if your insurance will still cover you if you do it too.
You can park it on the street so long as it is hitched to your car - which of course is taxed. To leave it on the street otherwise requires a licence from the Council, in the same way a skip company needs to when placing a skip.
You would, I think, be unlikely to obtain Council permission, though one does see caravans parked on the highway with no-one taking much notice.
However, if a neighbour complained or a Bobby happened to be bored that day, or if a Warden happened across it, you would be ticketed and told to shift.
------------- Camping Gear expands so as to fill the space available for its transportation.
A friend of ours left his on the road a few years back and council sent him a letter stating that if it was not removed in 7days they would have it removed
It is NOT illegal to park your caravan on the road if it is not causing an obstruction to road users. This does not mean that it cannot be a highway obstruction, any vehicle parked on the road is an obstruction to the highway. In practice this means that a caravan can be parked on the road as long as it does not block anybody’s driveway or create a hazard to other road users, such as blocking visibility around a tight bend.
Any caravan owner must ensure that they do not deny access to the public, willful obstruct the highway without lawful excuse or make unreasonable use of the highway. This is defined under section 137 of the Highways Act and Regulation 103 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Act of 1986.
It is also necessary that the caravans reflectors face the direction of the traffic. A statement from the Police says that a caravan “must be lit at night if it is parked on a road and comply with the other normal parking rules”. This requirement should be answered if a caravan has all the normal regulation reflectors and is parked near street lighting. Many people do not follow this rule judging by the amount of poorly lit caravans seen on roads. However it is definitely worth making sure that your caravan is adequately visible both for the safety of other road users and for the protection of your caravan.
If you want to park your caravan on a road then you should speak to your insurance company. You may find that your insurance does not cover the car being left on the road for an extended period of time. There are also matters of civility to contemplate; try to consider the needs of your neighbours and other road users. Be courteous, inform them if you are going to leave your caravan on the road. Do not work on your caravan when it is in the road and under no circumstances use it as accommodation. Also you should be aware that the Police are able to issue warnings and fines if they believe that your caravan is causing an obstruction, it is down to the discretion of the Police officers what constitutes an obstruction so heed their warning.
Rules vary about parking caravans on roads. You will find that there is a great deal of information on the web, much of it is contradictory. The best thing to do is to contact your local council and local Highways Agency. They will be able to provide you with relevant local information and any applicable by laws in the area.
You don't say if it's long term or just either side of a trip.
legal or not I'm sure your neighbours will take a dim view of a white box taking up a parking space and do everything they can to get it shifted.
We have a neighbour who brings his van home just before and after going away. Washes it, loads it etc. It seems perfectly acceptable to me and our street is tight for parking sometimes. I believe everyone has a right to have a reasonable use of the road and that to me is reasonable use..
If it was permanently parked there, that would be a problem.
I have just had a couple of weeks ago an altercation with our local authority over a caravan parked permanently on the road. It was not lit at night. The police had visited it and would do nothing as it was not causing an obstruction.
The initial response from the highways authority was a "not interested if the police were not concerned". However, when I reported it as an abandoned caravan the highways authority agreed to take action. They told the owner it would be removed in x days. The owners promptly put it on their drive.
I had need to leave mine on the road for a while as a parked car was blocking my drive on my arrival home from a holiday. Whilst the police traced the owner of the obstructing car and got them to get somebody to move it, they told me that I must leave my unit hitched together.
Whether they were right or wrong in knowing the law, that is the instruction I was given to avoid getting myself into difficulties through leaving it on the road.
Q629: Can I park my caravan (trailer) on the road outside my house?
Possibly, from a police point of view, as long as it does not cause an obstruction. When parking your caravan try and park it as considerately as possible for other residents in the street.
The caravan MUST be lit at night if it is parked on a road and comply with the other normal parking rules (the nearside must face the pavement so the rear lights are at the rear for approaching traffic).
Some Local Councils also take a strong line on the nuisance value of the caravans and do, in some cases, take legal action. It is also worth checking with them before parking in the road.
saxo1
Whilst it isn't illegal to park a caravan on a public road, it isn't legal either. People are seen to do this, but are simply getting away with it until some authority (police, council, etc) decide to issue an instruction to remove it. If/when this happens, there is no chance of appealing against it - removal would be compulsory and within a very short time period.
I would advise against it, simply because the law of obstruction allows the police to order a vehicle to be removed from a public road at any time, and they do not have to prove that it's truly an obstruction.
When we park our cars on the public highway, we get away with it by "concession", not because there is any legal right.
Bertie.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: parking caravan on the street
