NSW parking rules and distances

No stopping, no parking and time limits

Three kinds of sign cover most kerbs, and they mean very different things.

• No stopping: the car may not halt there for any reason short of an emergency, passenger drop offs included.
• No parking: a stop of 2 minutes or less is fine for dropping off or collecting people or goods, provided you stay within 3 metres of the car.
• 2P, 1P and similar: the number is the limit in hours, so 2P from 10 am means leaving by midday.
• Days and times on a sign limit when it applies. A 2P Mon to Fri sign does not apply on a Sunday.

Think of no stopping as zero seconds, and no parking as two minutes with you close by.

Distances to learn

Where no sign says otherwise, the rules keep clear space around places people need to see or reach.

• Intersection without lights: 10 metres. With lights: 20 metres.
• Pedestrian or children's crossing: 20 metres before, 10 metres after.
• Bus stop sign: 20 metres before, 10 metres after.
• Railway level crossing: 20 metres from the nearest rail, on either side.
• Public postbox: 3 metres, except for a quick drop off or pick up.
• Fire hydrant: 1 metre.

Places you must not stop

Some spots are off limits however briefly you plan to stay, with only narrow exceptions.

• Along a continuous yellow edge line.
• On a footpath, a nature strip or a median strip unless a sign allows it, on a traffic island, or across a driveway.
• Beside a parked car, which is double parking.
• In a bus zone, or in a clearway during its signed hours, where cars can be towed. A broken yellow line along the kerb marks a clearway, and its CLEARWAY sign gives the times when the kerb must stay empty.
• In a taxi zone while its sign is in force, unless the car you are driving is a taxi.
• On a crest or bend beyond built-up areas, where drivers coming up behind may not see you in time.
• Anywhere on a motorway, other than the emergency stopping lane when you have an emergency or breakdown.

Parking the right way

Where you may park, how you park matters too.

• On a two-way street, line up parallel with the left kerb, close to it and pointing the same way as the traffic.
• Keep 1 metre or more from the parked cars ahead and behind, and at least 3 metres from a continuous centre line, or from double centre lines, so traffic can pass.
• Angle park only where a sign or bay markings show it, at the angle they give. With neither, park parallel to the kerb.
• In marked bays, put the whole car inside one bay.
• Disability spaces are for vehicles displaying a valid mobility parking permit.
• Loading zones are for loading or unloading goods, for a short time only.

Leaving your car

A parked car can still cause a crash if you leave it carelessly.

• Apply the parking brake, and in an automatic, shift into P.
• Walking more than 3 metres from the car: engine off, key with you, and doors locked if no one is staying in it.
• Before opening your door, check for cyclists and passing traffic. A door must never be opened, or left hanging open, where it could endanger or block another road user.
• Facing downhill, turn the front wheels towards the kerb. Facing uphill, turn them away.

Opening a door into a passing cyclist is a common cause of serious injury, so look behind every time.