A certain road marking has left the internet scratching their heads – and it probably doesn’t mean what you think. We all know our stop signs and double yellow lines, but some of the more obscure road rules can be difficult to remember long after we’ve passed our driving tests.
That’s precisely why several Redditors were left confused when confronted with the true meaning of a common road marking. This all kicked off when a user took to the platform, asking: “What do these lines mean?,” highlighting the bold zig-zags on a typical city street. The post quickly became a hotbed of confusion, with one person also asking:”Are allowed to park there?”, while another griped: “Enough signs.”
You may be surprised to know the UK’s Highway Code has quite a few rules regarding these patterns that could be useful to remember. For starters, parking over these markings is strictly off-limits due to safety concerns, especially since they’re usually found near pedestrian crossings.
Overtaking the vehicle closest to you within these lines, or any vehicle that’s halted for pedestrians, is prohibited by government regulations too for exactly the same reasons. Though, if you take another look at the posted image, you’ll notice some of these rules aren’t at play.
Not only is a van parked directly on top of the zig-zags, but there isn’t a crossing anywhere in sight, which may add to your confusion. That may be because the uploaded image is reportedly photographed in Brussels, where locals claim zig-zags are usually always synonymous with delivery areas.
One individual commented: “There should be a sign telling you delivery hours and cost of parking (usually 100€),” while another added: “As people have said, this is a delivery area. There should be a sign somewhere indicating whether you cannot park during a certain range of hours (e.g. no parking between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) or whether you are not allowed to park at all.”
In the UK, delivery areas are more frequently marked with white bay boxes, as per the Highway Code. It explains: “Lengths of road reserved for vehicles loading and unloading are indicated by a white ‘bay’ marking with the words ‘Loading Only’ and a sign with the white on blue ‘trolley’ symbol.”
“This sign also shows whether loading and unloading is restricted to goods vehicles and the times at which the bay can be used. If no times or days are shown it may be used at any time. Vehicles may not park here if they are not loading or unloading.”
