Parking rules · clearly explained

Red routes

Red lines prohibit stopping, not waiting. That single difference is why arguments that work on a yellow line are useless here.

UK-specific guidanceSources shown on every guideReviewed 8 September 2026

Red routes are strategic roads where stopping, not merely waiting, is prohibited. The lines are red rather than yellow, and that colour change is the whole point.

On a yellow line you may stop to set down a passenger or to load. On a red line you may not stop at all, short of an emergency, except in a marked bay.

What the lines mean

MarkingMeans
Double red lineA double red line means no stopping at any time.
Single red lineA single red line means no stopping during the hours shown on a nearby plate.

Red routes exist in London and on a small number of roads elsewhere. They are signed with a red route sign at the start.

Bays are the only exception

Red route bays are marked and signed individually: some allow parking for a stated period, others allow loading only.

Red route loading bays allow loading only, at the times shown, for up to twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes means twenty minutes. A red route loading bay is not a parking space that happens to be free. Stopping in one without loading, or staying past the 20 minutes, is the same contravention as stopping on the line itself.

What a red route penalty charge costs →

Common questions

Can I stop on a red route to drop someone off?
No. That is the whole difference between a red line and a yellow one. On a yellow line you may stop to set down a passenger; on a red line you may not stop at all, except in a marked bay or in a genuine emergency.
What is the difference between a single and a double red line?
A double red line means no stopping at any time. A single red line means no stopping during the hours shown on a nearby plate — outside those hours the restriction does not apply, so the plate is worth reading rather than assuming the worst.
Can I load in a red route loading bay?
Yes, at the times shown on the sign, for up to 20 minutes. Loading has to be actual loading — carrying goods to or from the vehicle. Waiting in the bay for a passenger is not loading and will be enforced as stopping.

Sources

Figures last checked 8 September 2026