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New York driving lesson · Parallel Parking

No parking, no standing, no stopping

A 3-minute lesson from the New York course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Parallel Parking
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
43

Legally, "parking" comes in three levels: parking, standing and stopping. The signs tell you which of these is banned. New York also has statewide no-parking rules that apply even where no sign is posted, and many of them come with specific distances.

Parking

Stopping a vehicle, occupied or not, other than temporarily to load or unload merchandise or passengers.

Handbook p. 43 ↗

Standing

Like parking, but only while receiving or discharging passengers.

Handbook p. 43 ↗

Stopping

Bringing the vehicle to a stop, even temporarily.

Handbook p. 43 ↗

What the signs allow

What the signs allow
SignYou may
NO PARKINGStop temporarily to load/unload merchandise or passengers
NO STANDINGStop temporarily for passengers only; driver stays inside
NO STOPPINGOnly to obey a sign, signal or officer, or avoid a conflict
Handbook p. 43 ↗

You cannot park, stop or stand:

  • Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, unless a licensed driver stays in the vehicle to move it
  • On the road side of a parked vehicle (double parking)
  • On a sidewalk or in a crosswalk
  • In an intersection, unless signs or parking meters allow it
  • On railroad tracks
  • Next to or opposite road work, construction or other obstructions if you'd block traffic
  • Within 30 feet of a pedestrian safety area, unless another distance is marked
  • On a bridge or in a tunnel
Handbook p. 43 ↗

You cannot park or stand:

  • In front of a driveway
  • Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection
  • Within 30 feet of a traffic light, STOP sign or YIELD sign
  • Within 20 feet of a fire station driveway, or within 75 feet on the opposite side of the road
  • Along a curb that is cut, lowered or made for access to the sidewalk
Handbook p. 43 ↗
50 feet

You cannot park within this distance of a railroad crossing

Handbook p. 43 ↗

No-parking distances to memorize

No-parking distances to memorize
FromKeep back
Fire hydrant15 feet
Crosswalk at an intersection; fire station driveway20 feet
Traffic light, STOP or YIELD sign; pedestrian safety area30 feet
Railroad crossing50 feet
Fire station driveway, opposite side of road75 feet
Handbook p. 43 ↗

Put it into practice

You pull up to a NO STANDING sign to drop off a friend. That's allowed: you may stop briefly to let a passenger out, but you can't get out of the car. At a NO STOPPING sign, you couldn't stop there even for that.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

How close to a fire hydrant is it illegal to park, unless a licensed driver stays in the vehicle?
  1. Within 5 feet
  2. Within 25 feet
  3. Within 30 feet
  4. Within 15 feet

Answer: Within 15 feet

You cannot park, stop, or stand within 15 feet of a fire hydrant unless a licensed driver remains to move the vehicle.

Handbook p. 43 ↗
How close to a railroad crossing is parking prohibited?
  1. Within 50 feet
  2. Within 15 feet
  3. Within 100 feet
  4. Within 20 feet

Answer: Within 50 feet

You cannot park your vehicle within 50 feet of a railroad crossing.

Handbook p. 43 ↗
How close to a crosswalk at an intersection is parking or standing prohibited?
  1. Within 10 feet
  2. Within 20 feet
  3. Within 30 feet
  4. Within 50 feet

Answer: Within 20 feet

Parking or standing is not allowed within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.

Handbook p. 43 ↗
How close to a traffic light, STOP sign, or YIELD sign is parking or standing prohibited?
  1. Within 15 feet
  2. Within 50 feet
  3. Within 30 feet
  4. Within 20 feet

Answer: Within 30 feet

Parking or standing is not allowed within 30 feet of a traffic light, STOP sign, or YIELD sign.

Handbook p. 43 ↗
What does a NO STANDING sign allow you to do?
  1. Park for up to 20 minutes
  2. Load or unload merchandise freely
  3. Nothing, stopping is completely banned
  4. Stop briefly for passengers only

Answer: Stop briefly for passengers only

A NO STANDING sign means you can only make a temporary stop to load or discharge passengers, and the driver can't exit.

Handbook p. 43 ↗
What does a NO STOPPING sign permit?
  1. Only obeying traffic controls or avoiding conflicts
  2. Stopping to load merchandise briefly
  3. Standing for up to 5 minutes
  4. Stopping only to drop off passengers

Answer: Only obeying traffic controls or avoiding conflicts

A NO STOPPING sign means you can stop only to obey a traffic control or officer, or to avoid conflicts with other vehicles.

Handbook p. 43 ↗
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