Loading and unloading
A guide to loading and unloading rules for businesses.
Businesses and individuals can stop to load and unload on:
- single and double yellow lines (except where a loading ban exists)
- paid for parking bays
- resident bays
- loading bays (always check the signs for restrictions)
When stopping to load or unload from your vehicle, continuous loading activity must be apparent otherwise a parking ticket (PCN) may be issued.
Loading time limits
The rules differ for commercial vehicles, HGVs, and private vehicles. Where loading is permitted the following applies:
Single yellow lines and Pay to Park bays are uncontrolled on Sundays and in some locations on Saturdays. Please always check the signs for the hours of control.
Where you can load
Observation times to ascertain whether loading or unloading activity is taking place differ depending upon whether or not the location is deemed as being a 'traffic sensitive' street. See below for more information.
Commercial vehicles
- single and double yellow lines 8.30am to 11am: as long as necessary
- single and double yellow lines 11am to 6.30pm: 20 minutes
- single yellow lines 6.30pm to 8.30am: unlimited
- double yellow lines 6.30pm to 08.30am: as long as necessary
- Pay to Park and resident bays during controlled hours: 20 minutes
- Pay to Park and resident bays outside of controlled hours (always check signs for controlled hours): unlimited
Heavy Goods vehicles (HGVs)
- single and double yellow lines 8.30am to 11am: as long as necessary
- single and double yellow lines 11am to 6.30pm: 20 to 40 minutes
- single yellow lines 6.30pm to 8.30am: unlimited
- double yellow lines 6.30pm to 08.30am: as long as necessary
- Pay to Park and resident bays during controlled hours: 20 minutes
- Pay to Park and resident bays outside of controlled hours (always check signs for controlled hours): unlimited
An HGV for these purposes is a vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
Private vehicles
- single and double yellow lines 8.30am to 11am: as long as necessary
- single and double yellow lines 11am to 6.30pm: 20 minutes
- single yellow lines 6.30pm to 8.30am: unlimited
- double yellow lines 6.30pm to 08.30am: as long as necessary
- Pay to Park and resident bays during controlled hours: 20 minutes
- Pay to Park and resident bays outside of controlled hours (always check signs for controlled hours): unlimited
Private vehicle owners can only stop to load and unload where the items are too bulky or heavy to be carried from the nearest available parking space
You cannot stop to load or unload
- where a loading ban is in place
- on zig zags
- in specialist parking bays (eg diplomats, doctors, dedicated disabled bays etc)
- suspended bays
Traffic sensitive streets
A number of streets in Westminster have formally been designated as being ‘traffic sensitive’. Such streets carry more vehicular traffic, are more prone to significant impacts from congestion, and face greater pressure for access to the highway and kerbside, meaning work or activities are more likely to be disruptive to other road users.
As a result, we deploy a greater Marshal presence on these streets, and observation times given to ascertain whether commercial vehicles are actively involved in loading/unloading are less than in non-traffic sensitive streets. This is to encourage kerbside activity to take place away from traffic sensitive locations, or, where this is necessary, for the activity to be conducted as quickly as possible.
There are now 854 streets in Westminster deemed as being 'traffic sensitive', which is approx. 43% of the streets we enforce. The 'traffic sensitive' definition has been expanded to include a further 232 streets from 1 March 2022.
Carrying out works
If you need to carry out specific work for a longer period of time, you may need to suspend a parking bay or apply for a yellow line dispensation.
Published: 20 January 2021
Last updated: 28 September 2023
