Pressures with on-street parking have increased the number of parking issues raised by residents.
The council cannot always help with such issues. This page helps you decide who to contact.
Obstructive parking
Obstructive parking includes parking on the street, but also on verges and footways.
If a vehicle is parked on waiting restrictions (such as a yellow line) or across a dropped kerb, enforcement action can be taken by the council, where resources allow.
You can report these issues and request parking enforcement by emailing parking.enquiries@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Where there are no waiting restrictions present, but you feel that parking is causing a road safety or obstruction issue, the police may be able to help. They can be contacted on 101.
Parking on the verge
Parking on the verge is a widespread problem. It is not financially possible to install large-scale verge protection measures such as posts, fencing or ‘no parking on grass’ signs.
However, we can place warning notices on vehicles that repeatedly park on verges and prevent them from being maintained effectively.
If verge parking in your area is causing significant maintenance problems, use our online form to report it.
Report a grounds maintenance issue
Heavy goods vehicle and commercial vehicle parking
There are some rules and regulations regarding the parking of commercial vehicles on the road.
Certain vehicles require a vehicle operators licence. This means the licenced vehicle must be stored in an operating centre outside of business operating hours.
A vehicle needs an operators licence if it has either:
- a gross plated weight of more than 3.5 tonnes
- an unladen weight of more than 1,525 kg
There are exemptions to these rules for reasons of practicality. This includes the use of recovery vehicles on call.
Small commercial vehicles, such as Transit type vans, are not covered by any specific regulations. They can park on the road.
If you feel that a commercial vehicle may be parking in breech of a licence you can report this to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Find out how to make a report to the DVSA.
The DVSA can enforce restrictions on behalf of the Traffic Commissioner.
The council does not have any enforcement powers in relation to heavy goods vehicle parking unless there are waiting restrictions (such as yellow lines) in place.
Construction of additional parking spaces in residential roads
Parking spaces can sometimes be created in residential streets by converting existing grass areas.
This can be expensive. We add any requests to our list for future consideration should funding be available.
To have your road considered for additional off road parking spaces, contact the Highway Engineering Team by emailing highways.transport@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Provide full details of your request and any evidence, such as photographs, that you feel may be useful.
Resident parking areas
The council currently only operates a resident parking scheme in streets near to Bracknell town centre. This scheme provides permit parking for residents where there is competition for kerb side parking between residents, shoppers, commuters, or workers.
Residents can buy up to 5 permits per household, together with permits for their visitors and tradespeople. These schemes do not guarantee that a parking space will always be available.
Find out more about the resident parking scheme.
In areas not experiencing parking pressures from outside parties, a resident parking scheme will not help.
There are currently no plans to introduce further zones within the borough.
Requests for new parking restrictions
We get many requests for new parking restrictions, such as double and single yellow lines. Restrictions can be a useful tool in tackling inappropriate or problematic parking, but they must target the right areas. In general, we only introduce restrictions where evidence shows that parking is causing:
- a significant obstruction
- road safety issues
In residential areas we must balance the availability of parking with the need to keep the road free for the movement of traffic. Parking restrictions can result in a significant loss of on-street parking. Not all residents will find them beneficial.
To introduce parking restrictions, the council must use a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). This formalises the restrictions and allows enforcement to take place. Introducing a TRO can take time and involves considerable cost. This means it is not practical to introduce a TRO for restrictions in individual streets.
Proposed parking restrictions are formally advertised through the TRO process. This is generally every 9 months. This process includes a public consultation. We consider any comments or objections received.
If you want to report an issue which could require the introduction of parking restrictions, email highways.transport@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
You need to include:
- details such as times or days when the issue occurs
- any evidence, such as photographs
Access protection markings
If you have issues with vehicles blocking access to your driveway, contact our Parking Enforcement team by emailing parking.enquiries@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
They may be able to take enforcement action.
In some circumstances, the council can install an ‘access protection parking’. These are white 'H' shaped lines, painted onto the road to draw attention to a driveway or access. These lines are advisory markings and have no legal standing.
To be effective, we keep the number of these markings to a minimum.
How to apply
To be considered for this marking, contact the Highway Engineering team by emailing highways.transport@bracknell-forest.gov.uk with:
- evidence that vehicles are blocking the access from your property on a regular basis, for example, 1 to 2 times per week over a prolonged period
- the times and dates of the obstruction
- any photographic evidence
Where the installation of an access protection marking is agreed, all costs are to be paid by the resident or landowner.