Finding a parking space on the street is increasingly difficult, even in regulated parking spaces, such as the blue zone or the green zone, for which you have to pay to occupy them. The anxiety involved in this search often leads to some violations, such as parking in prohibited places or risking a fine for exceeding the time allowed in the spaces limited by minutes.
A situation that often raises doubts for many drivers occurs when they see a parking space facing the opposite direction of traffic. That is, when there is a gap that is located next to the opposite lane. Although the most prudent motorists choose to ignore it and look for another place to park their car considering that they could be fined for invading the wrong direction, others do not hesitate to carry out the maneuver and park there.
Those who choose the second option risk receiving a fine, in accordance with the General Traffic Regulations. The regulations establish in article 90.2 of chapter VIII how stops or parking must be carried out. Specifically, it indicates that “when on urban roads it has to be done on the road or on the shoulder, the vehicle will be placed as close as possible to its right edge, except on one-way roads, in which it may also be placed on the right edge.” left side”.
Therefore, on two-way roads, parking is only permitted on the right side of the road. Under no circumstances may you enter the opposite direction to park your car. In any case, if we are interested in parking on the left side of a street with two-way traffic, we will have to make a change of direction in a place where it is permitted.
Parking in the wrong direction is classified in the Traffic Regulations as a minor offense. It carries a fine of 100 euros (50 euros for prompt payment) without loss of points. However, if traffic officers catch you red-handed doing this maneuver, they can fine you 500 euros and have six points removed from your driving license for violating article 77 of the Traffic and Road Safety Law.
Invading the opposite lane is a dangerous practice for the driver and other road users. It is a serious infraction, as stated in the aforementioned article, and therefore the fine is raised to 500 euros. To this amount we would have to add the 100 euros penalty for parking the car in the wrong direction.
So if you ever find yourself involved in a similar situation on a two-way road, it is best to keep looking for a place to park your car next to the lane on your right. If you end up not finding a spot, you will have to go to a parking lot or turn around in a permitted spot to go find the space you had previously seen and park your vehicle there.
