Parking and traffic restrictions

Where you can and cannot park, traffic signs, signals and restrictions, illegal parking and fines, controlled parking zones, resident parking zones, traffic exclusion zones and moving traffic enforcement.

Parking and traffic signs and signals

There are various road signs and markings across Luton that affect how you should drive and park in the local area.

For an explanation of what they all mean, go to the Highway Code website:

Loading bays

Only goods vehicles are allowed to park in loading bays.

A goods vehicle is any vehicle which has been created or adapted for the haulage of goods. Hatchbacks with the rear seat down can be classed as a goods vehicles.

You can use a loading bay:

for the loading and unloading of goods
when making a scheduled delivery or collection

You cannot park in a loading bay. Once you have finished loading and unloading goods, the vehicle must be moved to a different bay. For example a pay and display bay, where a ticket should be bought from a machine on the street.

Blue Badge holders cannot use these parking places.

Pavement parking

You should not park on the pavement or grass verge. It costs us thousands of pounds to maintain pavements and grass verges that have been damaged by vehicles parking on them.

In addition to this, the Highway Code – GOV.UK clearly states that you must not park on the pavement in London and:

...should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs by forcing them into roads.

We can enforce pavements and verges adjacent to yellow line restriction. You may risk a Penalty Charge Notice if you park in these locations.

Unlike London, Luton does not have a borough wide pavement parking ban. We do have some locations where we have a specific ban against cars parking on the pavement.

Red routes

A red route is a clearway where a vehicle cannot stop. Unlike an urban clearway, red route prohibition applies to the pavement and verge as well as the carriageway. It does not include any signed and marked lay-bys or bays.

Double red lines mean no stopping or parking ‘at any time’. Single red lines mean no stopping or parking ‘during the restricted time’ as denoted on the sign.

Yellow lines

Double yellow lines indicate no parking ‘at any time’ and there is no need for a sign.

You should not park on these lines unless you are carrying out an exempt activity.

Single yellow lines indicate no parking ‘during the restricted times’. These times are indicated by a sign, either on the road in question or, on entry into a controlled parking zone.

Exempt activities

You are able to load or unload on a yellow line restriction and also alight passengers providing that this activity is continuous.

Where there are chevrons on the kerb this means that no loading or unloading activity is permitted to take place.

A Blue Badge holder can park on yellow lines for up to three hours, providing the loading ban (chevrons) are not in operation.

Pay and display bays

Anyone who buys a pay and display ticket from the relevant machine may park in one of these bays. Payment is only required during controlled hours.

Find out more about on-street parking.

You must ensure that:

the ticket is valid
the ticket is clearly displayed so that the details, such as the expiry time/date, can be seen from the outside of the vehicle
the correct tariff has been paid
the vehicle is parked completely within the bay markings
the bay is not suspended
you have not overstayed the maximum stay as stated on the sign on the street

Blue Badge holders are allowed to use these bays without time limit.

PayByPhone – cashless parking

Use cashless parking when you want to park in Luton. Download the PayByPhone app and just:

enter your location number
select parking duration
confirm your payment

If you do not have a smartphone:

Telephone: 01582 851 141

Shared use bays

Shared use bays are bays which combine both of the above. The time plate adjacent to the bays will normally say ‘permit holders’ or ‘pay at machine.’

Blue Badge holders are allowed to use these bays without time limit.

PayByPhone is also available at when using Luton's car parks.

Disabled bays

These bays are available to holders of Blue Badges. Only vehicles displaying a valid Blue Badge may park in these spaces.

If a time limit applies (for example a three hour limit) the clock must be displayed with the badge.