I have a question regarding parking facing wrong direction. Is parking in the opposite direction of traffic forbidden in Switzerland? Thanks
Hi all,
I'd say only if it proves that you must have broken other rules doing so.
Certainly, if you went the wrong way down a one-way street to reach the parking space. Not sure about two-way roads; I don’t think we’ve ever managed to spot a parking place on the opposite side when we’ve been looking for somewhere to park.
I once got a fine for it in Germany. Not sure about Switzerland though.
I just parked in a two-way road (zone 30), close to a intersection (10 meter to the intersection). I was driving on my side then I found a parking spot in the opposite direction. I drived to the parking spot and reverse a little bit (for correction). A guy told me it is forbidden to park in the opposite direction of traffic. I could not find any fine for it in:
http://www.admin.ch/opc/de/classifie...ndex.html#app1
Please let me know what you think.
It IS forbidden. There are a few exceptions.
And an example
The reason given is -
When leaving the space you do not have an overview of the oncoming traffic.
Makes sense..
Thanks all. It is clear now.
Do you have that in another language? Or give me a hint where to find it?
I thought it was forbidden as well, but I've been seeing it done more and more here in Lausanne. I wonder if they just can't be bothered to enforce it anymore.
It happens everywhere in Neuchatel too and I've seen the police cruising past without doing anything about it. There was even a police car parked facing the wrong way a couple of weeks ago.
I always thought it was illegal too ( it was in Belgium) but decided that maybe it wasn't here in Switzerland.
you'll find more pressure on this at night. But if there is street lighting and low volumes of traffic, it's not often policed so firmly.
If you park in a village at night, you're highly recommended to park in the same direction as the traffic flow - i.e. exiting your car into the road and not on the kerb.
what I do with Google for translate , is cut the link, delete the www. & anything before, then press enter, usually it comes up with translate option
re bothered to enforce it : well you do it at your own risk, but should take into account the weather, in the case of snow, ice, possible rain, then no doubt they would more than likely enforce it
Interesting. I see cars parked opposite of traffic all the time on two-way streets in Bern. Never seen any with parking tickets.
Thank you. I always forget about the option to put in the URL in google translate.
Oh, I've been in Switzerland much to long to do anything so daring!
I was just wondering why I've see so much of it being done recently. Maybe it's all the foreign tourists. Damn foreigners.
I had not idea it was illegal in Belgium. I parked any which way in Brussels. You know... When in Rome...
... in another language.....
Link to full text in German / in French
can't find it in English, though....
In Lausanne it is done all of the time without any issues but I would add a couple of comments:
It is normally done on less busy roads where you can cross safely and leave safely afterwards.
You can NOT cross over a solid white line to park on the other side of the road. If so, you will be fined.
I passed my test a looong time ago, but I still remember being told very clearly and firmly that it is not allowed. I was really surprised to see people in the UK doing it all the time, and it never seemed safe to me.
If I remember, in the UK it is allowed during daylight hours, after dark the parking has to be in the direction of traffic.
People used to park facing the wrong way, and then mount little red & white lamps on their side doors with the white and red sides pointing correctly.
A swiss friend of mine got a ticket on the windshield for parking on a 2 way street and on the wrong side of it. It was not a direct fine, but she was to report to the police station and explain how she parked there having a white line separating her lane and the other side. I think their main problem is if you do it on a one-way street (so you where going contra-flow), or if you cross the solid white line (which equates to a wall).
As I mentioned above, crossing a SOLID white line = a fine.