(315) Where are no-stopping and no-parking regulations found?
No-stopping and no-parking regulations can be found in several types of locations, such as urban areas and on viaducts. The meaning is literally that vehicles must not stop or park in the regulated area, and there may be settings for the types of vehicles subject to the regulation, the applicable time periods, and so on. Also, because Japanese designs incorporate international standards, you will see the same signs overseas.
Actually, these no-stopping and no-parking regulations cannot be set lightly; various considerations are required when setting them. It is possible to exclude specific vehicles, limit the applicable vehicles, limit the applicable time periods, or exclude specific cases such as 'excluding boarding and alighting of passengers'.
No-stopping and no-parking areas
In addition to locations with regulatory signs, there are rules for no-stopping and no-parking regulations. Let's review the provisions in Article 44 of the Road Traffic Act (Places where stopping and parking are prohibited).
1. Intersections, pedestrian crossings, bicycle crossings, railroad crossings, within track areas, near the tops of hills, on steep slopes, or in tunnels.
2. Within 5 meters of the side edges of an intersection or the corners of a road.
3. Within 5 meters before or after the side edges of a pedestrian crossing or bicycle crossing.
4. The left side of a road where a safety zone is provided, and within 10 meters before or after the side edges of that area.
5. Within 10 meters of a signpost or sign indicating a bus stop or a trolleybus or streetcar stop (limited to the operating hours of the buses, trolleybuses, or streetcars belonging to the service route related to that stop).
6. Within 10 meters before or after the side edges of a railroad crossing.
In addition, based on the following articles of the Road Traffic Act, stopping and parking on national expressways and stopping and parking on the right side of one-way streets are prohibited.
Article 75-8 (Chapter IV-II Special Provisions on Traffic Methods for Automobiles on National Expressways, etc., Prohibition of Stopping and Parking)
On national expressways, etc., automobiles shall not stop or park except when stopping temporarily due to the provisions of laws and regulations, orders from police officers, or to prevent danger.
stopping and parking are prohibited within these roads even if the sign is not explicitly displayed.
Article 47 (Method of Stopping or Parking)
1. When a vehicle stops for the boarding or alighting of passengers or the loading or unloading of cargo, it must stay as close to the left edge of the road as possible and must not obstruct other traffic.
2. When a vehicle is parked, it must stay along the left edge of the road and must not obstruct other traffic.
Near large intersections on arterial roads in downtown areas
Traffic Regulation Standards lists 'areas and locations where it is particularly necessary to prohibit stopping and parking to ensure traffic safety and smooth flow' as including 'among statutory no-stopping and no-parking areas, large intersections on arterial roads, intersections with complex traffic, locations with a high risk or nuisance factor for stopping and parking, and other locations where it is particularly necessary to clarify that stopping and parking are prohibited'.
Intersections are originally no-stopping and no-parking areas within 5 meters of the corner even without signs, but they are explicitly marked when necessary. However, the time may be limited.
A no-stopping and no-parking regulation set only near the intersection from 7:00 to 20:00. Since the no-stopping and no-parking and no-parking settings in the background apply to the entire road, two types of no-stopping and no-parking regulations are set near this intersection.
Morning and evening bus priority/exclusive lanes
Another pattern is the description 'sections where priority/exclusive traffic lanes for route buses, etc., are implemented'. This is usually the no-stopping and no-parking regulation seen in urban areas of large cities like Tokyo. In most cases, it is used in conjunction with no-parking or time-restricted parking regulations.
Standard no-stopping and no-parking and no-parking regulations seen in bus priority/exclusive lane sections in Tokyo
The no-parking regulation installed in conjunction with this may be limited so that the time period does not overlap with the no-stopping and no-parking regulation, or it may not be time-limited. In both cases, the meaning of the regulation is the same. This is a matter of display preference, and tendencies differ by prefecture.
When used in conjunction with a time-restricted parking section. There is no parking regulation at night from 19:00 to 9:30.
There are also cases where special exclusion conditions are added near taxi stands, such as "excluding taxi passenger waiting."
Depending on the location, there are cases where lane regulations apply only in the morning, or both morning and evening.
If you compare the bus priority lane and the no-parking/no-stopping regulations, you will notice that the time-limited auxiliary signs are the same.
Station plazas
Another pattern is described as "sections around facilities where many vehicles concentrate, such as station plazas, where parked or stopped vehicles have a significant impact."
Regulations on arterial roads around JR Kichijoji Station (Inokashira-dori and Kichijoji-dori)
A transition point for regulations where exclusion conditions differ slightly.
One-lane bus routes in tourist areas
Another common example of no-parking/no-stopping regulations is one-lane bus routes in tourist areas. Examples include Kyoto's Shijo-dori, which became a topic of conversation after reducing the number of lanes to one in each direction, and Hida-Takayama, where such regulations are implemented.
Vehicle types are restricted. The purpose is likely to prevent large tourist buses from parking or stopping.
Roads equivalent to motorways
In addition, no-parking/no-stopping regulations are sometimes applied on arterial road viaducts and inside tunnels.
Because it is a road equivalent to a motorway, no-parking/no-stopping regulations are explicitly installed.
It is believed that this is set because center-line shifting regulations are in effect, and despite being an arterial road, it can become a single lane in each direction.
Other special regulations (Tokyo Olympics)
When the Tokyo Olympics were held, no-parking/no-stopping regulations were aligned with designated vehicle priority/exclusive lanes, and near venues, no-parking/no-stopping regulations were applied to vehicles other than those involved.
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Please see here as well.