On street parking bay sign rule

[NC68]

If the sign reads: Mon - Fri, shows the hours 8am-6pm and I arrive at 7.30am or earlier or later (before 8am) to the bay and purchase a ticket to park in the bay, is this allowed?

[dzug2]

Many parking ticket machines will give you credit for a 'free' half hour if you do this - eg if you pay for 3 hours the expiry time printed on the ticket wil be 1100.

Whether that's universal - no idea.

[alexanderd]

Shouldnt think so because before 8 you are parking illegally

[hc4361]

Not necessarily, Alex. Many areas have free parking overnight.
Lots of people who park outside their house overnight have to get up early to buy a ticket or move their car.

[alexanderd]

hc4361 you are right of course in residential areas but sounds as if the poster may be going to work or similar. I used to drive a delivery van and we werent allowed to park before 8 in towns if it said 8 till 6 even if the premises were open that we were delivering to

[Loosehead]

the time show when you must pay, outside that it is free. It works the other way round too, if you turnup at 5pm and pay frolm three hours it will say 10am the next day is the expiry time.

[kinell]

these parking restrictions are tiresome..

i parked up the other day to go to a shop to buy some fags and the parking notice said 1 hour free (for non-residents) and 'no return within two hours'..

so i had to hang around before i could return to my car so after buying a newspaper, drink and sandwich extra to immediate requirements it was an expensive and time consuming exercise

[bushbaby_de]

my husband actually thought that meant you couldn't return to your car for 2 hours... I couldn't believe he was being serious but he was.....