Parking zones

Approximately 50% of Southwark offers parking zones. The primary reason for our zone restrictions is to give parking priority to local residents and short-stay shop/business visitors.

The remaining areas also have many local controls, including bus lanes, blue badge (disabled) bays, yellow lines at road junctions and short-stay parking bays close to shops.

All restrictions must be marked in accordance with the Department for Transport. It's your responsibility to check signs and lines before they park to avoid a penalty charge notice.

You can read about parking signs and lines in the Highway Code.

Parking zones

Within our 30 parking zones across Southwark, there are different areas that have different parking restrictions and different markings.

When parking controls are in operation:

• parking is only allowed in designated parking spaces
• parking spaces are indicated by white bay lines and will have signs to explain who can park in the bay and when next to them
• parking is prohibited in areas with single and double yellow lines or where indicated by parking signs
• parking on the footway is prohibited unless there are marked parking spaces on the footway
• parking across a dropped kerb is prohibited unless you hold a valid permit and have permission from the owner of the property. Please note where the pavement has been dropped or raised to allow pedestrians to cross (normally marked with tactile pavement) it is prohibited to park at all times
• Permit Parking Areas (PPAs) are marked with signs stating the permit type and times required beyond the location of the sign, they differ from a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), in that they do not have marked bays and allow you to park next to the kerb anywhere in the PPA as long as you have a valid permit

Times of operation

Parking zones operate at various times and days throughout the week. Outside these times, permits aren't required and visitors don't need to pay to park. Each parking bay will have an associated sign with detailed information.

Parking bays

Parking bays are identified by white markings on the road. Each bay will have a sign stating who can park and the hours of enforcement. If no times are stated, the bay operates at all times.

Typical streets will include:

• permit bays
• shared use bays (permit holders and pay display)
• loading bays
• blue badge bays
• car club bays
• and sometimes cycle hire bays

Blue badge (disabled) bays

Blue badge parking bays are reserved solely for those who need assistance with accessibility and who are displaying a European blue badge. 

These bays operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week unless signed otherwise.

Motorcycle bays

Motorcycle bays are reserved solely for motorcycles, parking will be free.

Single yellow lines in controlled zones

Controlled zones that have single yellow lines within them will have Controlled Zone entry plates at each of their entrances. These signs state the days and hours that yellow lines operate.

In some locations, there may be single yellow lines with time plates. Typically, these restrictions operate for longer periods than the rest of the controlled zone (for example, in bus lanes). Always check the signs to make sure it is ok to park.

Double yellow lines

A double yellow line means that no parking is allowed at any time. It's important to remember:

• all double yellow line restrictions operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week (including bank holidays)
• double yellow lines don't require a sign plate next to them stating that no parking is allowed
• double yellow lines are sited for safety reasons (where parking could cause a serious obstruction)

Zone signs

Our newest zones (and, where possible, those that have been recently reviewed) don't have any Controlled Zone signs at their entrances. These parking zones don't have any single yellow lines within them.

In these areas, we've marked all lengths of kerb with either a parking bay (safe to park) or a double yellow line (not safe to park).  

This reduces the visual intrusion of large Controlled Zone entry signs but also assists in clearer restrictions at the point of parking. 

All our other Controlled Zones will have a Controlled Zone sign at each entrance. The law recently changed - now this sign only needs to be placed on one side of the road. 

We're not required to place Controlled Zone signs at the boundary between different zones which have the same operational hours.

Page last updated: 30 August 2024