Section : General

General Legal Issues messages

Whats the Law on parking a trailer????

Posted By : Piero Franchi, 06-Sep-2006, 08:40pm

Hi, I am in the process of finding a car transporter/trailer, I am starting to think about were I can and cant part it.
I live in London, and we have a parking restriction were I live (camden) I have a parking permit for my van, so am aloud to park in a serton area of canden.
Now, if the trailer is hitched to my van, I would have thought it became part of my verical (sorry cant spell that word).
Parking control says NO, even though it shares the same number plate.
They say I am not aloud to park my van (with permit) and trailer in a residant bay.
I have been told (not by parking control), that if I un-hitch the trailer, and leave it there, that that is all right.
And whats more, if I leave a car on it, with or with out a permit, thats ok as well.
Even worst than that, if the car on it has no road tax, thats ok as well.
I have tried to ring round to conferm this, but every one I have spoken to does not know were I stand.
It seems like a gray area.
any one know any facts????

Followups :

Whats the Law on parking a trailer????

Posted By : Trudi Prettyjohns, 07-Sep-2006, 12:30pm

Piero

You cannot leave a trailer unattended legally on a road, it needs to be coupled to a tow vehicle. It does not matter what is on the trailer, the trailer itself is the vehicle. If you want to park a trailer somewhere and leave it, it would need to be off road.

Regards
Mike

Mike Crewes
Cop Shop Columnist and General Secretary
- Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
  
  Posted By : Colin Wake, 07-Sep-2006, 01:26pm
  
  So as long as it is permanantly coupled to a tow vehicle then Piero should have no problems?
  
  This raises 2 further questions...
  
  1. does the entire tow-car and trailer combination become a "single vehicle entity" so that he will be OK with the parking wardens, or does it remain 2 separate entities, so he will not be covered by his single parking permit.
  
  2. Does the vehicle with the towbar have to actually be capable of legally towing the trailer/car?? Line of thinking here is for Piero to buy himself a small car with a towbar and hitch the trailer to it when he wants to park it in the street. He won't ever have to tow with it, he has his van for that. Just use the small car as a hitch post to keep his trailer legal.
  
  Now Mike, we know you couldn't advocate anything dodgy... but I'm sure you can tip Piero the wink on what is Ok so to speak.
  
  Colin
  - Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
    
    Posted By : Neil Pannett, 07-Sep-2006, 04:52pm
    
    One thing that hasn't been clarified here is whether the area for parking is marked into individual spaces or whether it is the entire kerbside of the road.
    I would guess that if it is individual spaces then as the vehicle + trailer doesn't fit in one space you'd have more problems.
    
    Just a thought.
  - Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
    
    Posted By : Jon Morton, 07-Sep-2006, 05:36pm
    
    If I can put my car on a trailer if it fails its MOT and work on it in the street with out fear of Wardens....I'm Going to build my self a wooden trailer...Ive got two wheels from a wheel barrow. I would never move the trailer with a car...in fact I could make it a flat pack design to fit it the shed(I could even build it out of the garden shed).
    
    No permit problems just off street parking when I'm at my partners house.
    
    You could be on to something here
    
    Jon
    - Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
      
      Posted By : Piero Franchi, 07-Sep-2006, 05:59pm
      
      Hi,
      Were I live, there is no single parking bay, just a long line, lets say that fits two, three or up to 10 cars at a time.
      BUT PNC told me my parking permit does not allow the use of a trailer.
      what they said I could do, was to get (as builders do) a licence for storage of goods on the road, like bricks, skips etc.
      then I could park the trailer on its own.
      I have been given MUCH conflickting adivese, as other departments say a trailer is NOT covered by this liceance.
      if I leave the trailer un-hithced, how will they ticket it, it has no number plate of its own when not conected to my car/van.
      whats more, as I want to go the legal route, what they are saying is I cant park my van and hitched trailer on the road were I live. but what if I have to, or need to!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      the nearest place with out a pernite is miles away from where I live
      what can I do????????
      - Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 07-Sep-2006, 08:03pm
        
        If you leave the trailer unhitched you will get a letter from the council threatening a &163;1000 fine if they can trace you... If they cannot trace you they will remove it and destroy it!... that's exactly what was threatened to me before I move it off road... in this occasion there was no parking restictions at all...
        
        ...best get some offroad storeage for it... or don' even buy one.. just hire one when you need it.
        
        PS... working on your car on the highway (roadside) is also illegal if the job you're doing takes more than 30 minutes... (stringing multiple 30 min jobs together doesn't count). I've been through all this in my time... and I now have a garage... (much easier)
        
        Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Piero Franchi, 07-Sep-2006, 08:24pm
        
        O well, it was worth a try!!!!!!!
        will just av to put it in my mums garden!!!!!
        after all, thats why we have them (mums)
        
        Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Colin Wake, 07-Sep-2006, 08:37pm
        
        You too???
        
        I did move my utterly rotten mini from my Mums driveway after 16 years, but only so I could replace it with a Toledo.
        
        It also had a mate's Stag for company, and my brothers Rotten Herald at various times.
        
        Aren't Mums and their driveways great!
        
        Colin
        
        Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Mark Astley, 07-Sep-2006, 09:23pm
        
        Hi Nigel,
        Do you know does the highway (roadside) include laybys on dual carriageway and those for parking on housing estates? Just wondering having recently done a fix in the latter that lasted 3 hours and probably come close to 30 mins in the former.
        Mark
        
        Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Mike Crewes, 13-Sep-2006, 08:18am
        
        Guys
        
        Thanks Nigel for posting the good advice.
        
        Piero
        If you get a storage permit for the trailer that should cover it to be parked in that particular spot, but it will have a time limit on it and MUST be lit at night (work lamps, or something).
        
        Mark
        The road is from building line to building line, which includes footways, laybys, bus stops, etc. Nice try though.
        
        The law is very tight on this aspect of vehicle storage and deliberately so. It's to stop people storing vehicles and working on them in the street! Just like Piero is trying to do!!!
        
        Regards
        Mike
        
        Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Dan Owen, 13-Sep-2006, 11:49am
        
        Mike,
        Just a thought, is there an exemption from that particular bit of legislation if the vehicle is your own? If not then a lot of us have been (and will carry on!) breaking the law for years! Basically saying if you have no offroad space you MUST take your car to a "professional" garage for more than the very simplest jobs?
        
        I thought there was something to stop the "backstreet mechanics" fixing other people's bangers for cash, that were antisocial (if you lived next door) and probably on the fiddle as well, but us DIY guys? I have a garage now but there's probably a lot of members that don't.
        
        Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Piero Franchi, 16-Sep-2006, 04:41pm
        
        Hi Mike.
        you must have misunderstood.
        i dont want to store and work on a car,
        all I want to do is park my empty trailer.
        and why should I not be able to????
        if I had a streched limo, or a mini, both being totaly differant sizes, I would be aloud to keep these on a publick road.
        so why cant I keep my towing car and hithched or un-hitched trailer on the road then???
        Piero
        
        Whats the Law on parking a trailer????
        
        Posted By : Mike Crewes, 19-Sep-2006, 05:02pm
        
        Sorry Piero
        
        I got carried away with the chat and lost sight of you original question.
        
        I have no idea why the law is the way it is, but it probably has something to do with money. You don't pay Vehicle Excise Licence on a trailer, but you do on a motor vehicle, but that's a guess.
        
        Regards
        Mike