We are worried that failing to update guidance to include the lessons learnt from more than 15 years of enforcement in London will lead to countless wrong fines being issued, no end of unnecessary stress for drivers who feel they have been unfairly treated and thousands of wasted council hours investigating appeals. Wright explains:"The key design principle is that yellow boxes should be no bigger than is necessary to prevent vehicles obstructing through movements. This will inevitably lead to an unnecessarily high number of appeals for local authorities to review, as well as some poor outcomes for drivers. When it comes to double yellow lines, the best bet is to assume that you can’t park there at any time.

The Blue Badge Scheme specifies how many disabled parking spaces a council needs to provide in council car parks or on-street. No waiting' with double yellow lines means no waiting or parking at any time, unless there are exceptions listed on nearby signs. I think designers should have to take a car out in rush hour to see if they can negotiate the box without stopping, before insisting that others do the same.Sam Wright,Chartered engineer, formally responsible for the design and approval of yellow boxes on the TfL Road Network, discusses ifyellow box junctions enforced unfairly? If there aren't any signs to restrict parking, you can park on a residential street as long as you follow all the other rules about yellow lines, double yellow lines and white lines. The situation can be compounded by crossings and stop lines set back which make it even more difficult for drivers to see whether there is space to make it through the junction in one go as they are further away to start with.

RAC Insurance Ltd is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.At signal‑controlled junctions, the queues of traffic left at the end of a green phase have been significantly reduced and there have been marked reductions in injury accidents, especially those involving pedestrians. There may be a private company enforcing the parking rules which can issue a fine (a parking charge notice) or you might be asked to move your car. RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said:“In the absence of definitive guidance on the design, maintenance and enforcement of box junctions there will be a high degree of confusion among drivers and local authorities which could lead to an avalanche of penalty charge notices being wrongly issued and then having to be appealed.

We have written to the Department for Transport asking them to update the guidance to make it clear to local authorities what the minimum standard for design and condition of a box junction should be before letting enforcement begin, but they are adamant the present guidance is sufficient. Single yellow lines mean no waiting or parking during the times shown on nearby signs or at the entrance to a controlled parking zone. You can stop on a single or double red line to pick up or set down a Blue Badge holder - the badge must be displayed clearly and you must move off promptly. In some cases, the single white line is there to indicate that there’s no pavement – if this is the case then it’s illegal to park there.Watch out for different rules and restrictions when there's big sporting events, festivals like Glastonbury or a big concert.