Waiting and loading restrictions

Waiting and loading restrictions restrict when vehicles can wait, load and unload, limit the length of stay or prevent waiting altogether.

These restrictions help improve the flow of traffic and prevent obstructions on the road. They either:

  • limit the length of stay (thin intermittent white lines with a sign stating the permitted parking time)
  • prevent waiting at any time (double yellow lines)
  • prevent waiting at certain times of the day or certain days of the week (shown on a sign next to the yellow lines)

There is some exemption for Blue Badge holders. For further guidance see our road markings guide (PDF, 158KB).

Providing new waiting and loading restrictions is not considered one of our priorities at the moment as we don’t have enough money to fix everything we want to, or as quickly as we’d like. If you would like new waiting or loading restrictions you should seek support from your local town or parish council. They will then need to identify a local funding source to cover the costs associated with introducing these markings on the road.

Report a problem

You can report a missing or faded waiting and loading restrictions quickly and easily online using our Highways Reporting Tool.

Enforcement

The main purpose of on street parking enforcement is to maintain road user safety and prevent congestion, by tackling drivers who park on yellow lines and in other restricted areas. It also helps to balance parking demand, by ensuring that drivers remove their vehicles from parking bays within the permitted time.

East Suffolk, Ipswich Borough and West Suffolk Councils are responsible for enforcement in their own areas. Enforcement in Babergh and Mid Suffolk are managed by Ipswich Borough and West Suffolk Council. The enforcement areas can be seen on Suffolk County Council's parking enforcement map.

More information can be found on the below links:

Read more about parking enforcement.

Traffic Regulation Orders 

Find information about Traffic Regulation Orders.


Contact us

You can report problems easily using our Highways Reporting Tool

Find out how to contact us by live chat or phone on our contact page.