Someone just found the blog with the query “is it legal to park next to a chicane”.
Simple answer: it depends on the road markings.
Look at this chicane in Nottingham. It has “give priority to oncoming traffic” signs both sides – because it is on a bend.
Looking at it from this side, you see double yellow lines going right up to – and through – it. These yellow lines apparently mean “no parking except for parents dropping their brats off at Hollygirt School, and buses associated with the school”.
However, look at the other end of the chicane and you can see the yellow lines stop on the left side, and change to a single line on the right side. Obviously, parking is allowed here…
However, in 2023, the same chicane now looks like this:
The double yellow lines now extend along the entire road. Obviously, complaints eventually became voluminous enough for the City Council to take action somewhere between 2010, when this article first appeared, and 2023.
The way chicanes are marked, though, can be very inconsistent at first glance because it depends where they are. This one, also in Nottingham, is quite clear. At one end you have yellow lines and a hatched area, and at the other end there are school zig-zags both sides to prevent parking…
Generally, road markings stop you from parking absolutely snug with a chicane – but there is no reason why parking has to be automatically restricted. Usually, the restrictions are on the side where the driver has to give way – which makes sense, because it causes a blockage otherwise (as the idiots who send their kids and buses to Hollygirt School every morning prove conclusively).
Another thing to bear in mind is the guidance about parking in a safe place found in the Highway Code. Basically, if you have to ask the question about parking on a specific chicane in your area then the chances are you are causing an obstruction and that won’t go down too well if someone complains. If you park on the hatched area then you ARE causing an obstruction.