A. 10 metres
Select language
A. 10 metres
B. Six metres
C. Three metres
D. One metre
Permitted parking distances vary with the type of accessway or object. For example, while you can park 1m away from a driveway, you have to be at least 6m away from an intersection unless there are marked bays or signage saying you can park closer.
Parking any closer than six metres starts to significantly restrict visibility especially if the vehicle is an SUV or van which is taller than a car. As vehicles exit the intersection they will have to nose out further to see up the road and this puts them in danger. While some expensive cars have cameras that look up the road, most people will have to get their bonnet into the lane to be able to see, and that means that other vehicles have to swerve around it.
Six metres is a good compromise between using all the available parking and not restricting road users' visibility. On some intersections this isn't an issue and you might find marked bays or a parking line closer than six metres to the intersection.
You also must park at least 6m away from a pedestrian crossing - 6m is about 1.5 times the length of a medium-sized car. This is because your vehicle will obscure the view of pedestrians up the road, and obscure the view of the pedestrians from drivers driving towards the crossing.
This is especially important for pedestrians who are visually impaired because drivers need to be able to see them as early as possible, and the pedestrians won't know that there's a vehicle blocking the view of the crossing.
Read our comprehensive guide to pedestrian crossings by clicking here.
You must also park at least 6m from a bus stop marked only by a sign so that the bus will have enough room to pull in and move out again.
If it's a fire hydrant, you mustn't park closer than 500mm (0.5m) unless someone who can move it stays with the vehicle. Read more about parking where there is a fire hydrant.
Parking closer than 1m to a vehicle entrance makes it more difficult for a vehicle to see up the road when they exit (thus risking an accident), and more difficult for a vehicle to turn into the exit, particularly a long vehicle that might need to swing out wide to get in. You could be towed or ticketed. If a person cannot get into their driveway they can call the council and have your vehicle removed at your expense.