Do You Hate Double Yellow Lines?

The great double yellow line debate is well under way.

On the one side, we have the Conservative plans to let motorists park on these lines for 15 minutes at a time without paying. On the other side, we have opponents of the plan who say that it is unworkable. Meanwhile, the AA say that all of the double yellow lines should be reviewed and the unnecessary ones taken away.

Photo credit: Dominic Alves

The reason why this debate has come about in the first place is because of the fear that parking restrictions are helping to kill off High Street shops.

There is no doubt that for many of us it is easier to park in a shopping centre than on the High Street, but would these changes make any difference?

Some Interesting Facts

The history of double yellow lines is as interesting as you would imagine but it is worth pointing out that the introduction of the Road Traffic Act in 1960 is when they first started to make their unwelcome presence felt in our lives. Slightly more interestingly, you will generally only find double yellow lines in the way we use them in places which were once British colonies. In other parts of the world they exist but mean other things. Parts of the US use, on the other hand, painted kerbs to denote different parking and stopping restrictions, with some places having a wonderfully varied range of different kerb colours (or curb colors if you want the untranslated version).

Anyway, the fact that many of these lines have been around for a long time makes me think that the AA suggestion of reviewing them is a good move.

What do you think; should we keep all those double yellow lines and let people use them for 15 minutes, or try and get rid of some of them? Would either of these approaches even make you more likely to go and shop on your local High Street anyway? What about coloured kerbs (colored curbs)?

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