Prohibitions on stopping and parking: articles 24 and 25

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Articles 24 and 25 of the Belgian code: the full list of places where stopping and parking are banned, explained case by case.

Coverage, The 15 absolute prohibitions

Lesson objectives

Distinguish the two legal lists: article 24 (stopping and parking prohibited, 11 cases ) and article 25.1 (parking prohibited, stopping allowed, 15 cases ) Remember the specific distances: 1 m, 3 m, 5 m, 15 m, 20 m Identify cases where local regulations may override the prohibition

Two articles, two lists, do not confuse them

The code does not know "fifteen absolute prohibitions". It knows two distinct lists : article 24 , "Prohibition of stopping and parking", lists 11 cases where you may neither stop nor park; article 25.1 , "Prohibition of parking", lists 15 cases where only parking is prohibited: stopping remains permitted. This boundary is what the exam tests. A location cited by article 24 prohibits even a thirty-second stop; a location cited by article 25.1 allows you time to let a passenger out.

Group 1, Article 24: stopping AND parking prohibited (11 cases)

Article 24 begins with a general rule that applies everywhere: it is prohibited to place a vehicle at a stop or parked at any location where it is manifestly likely to constitute a danger to other road users or to inconvenience them unnecessarily . The eleven cases that follow are merely examples, the word in the text is "in particular". A location not listed there may therefore remain prohibited under this general rule.

Cases 1 to 3, Pavements, cycle paths, level crossings

1° on pavements and, in built-up areas, on projecting verges , except under local regulations, without prejudice to article 23.4 which authorizes motorcycles to park off the roadway without obstruction 2° on cycle paths , and less than 5 m from the point where cyclists and two-wheeled moped riders must leave the path for the roadway, or vice versa 3° on level crossings

E3

E3: Stopping and parking prohibited. It is a blue disc with two red diagonals in a cross. You may neither park nor stop, even briefly. Only forced stopping, a breakdown, a police order or traffic congestion, is tolerated.

Cases 4 and 5, Pedestrian and cyclist crossings, underpasses, tunnels, bridges

4° on pedestrian crossings , on crossings for cyclists and two-wheeled moped riders, and on the roadway less than 5 metres before these crossings. Remember well: here, stopping too is prohibited, this is the most frequent error 5° on the roadway, in underpasses , in tunnels , and, except under local regulations , under bridges

Pedestrian crossing: prohibited stopping zone

Case 6, Hilltop and bend with poor visibility

6° on the roadway, near the top of a hill and in a bend when visibility is insufficient. This case appears in article 24, so stopping is prohibited there too , not just parking, another classic confusion.

Case 7, Near junctions: 5 metres

7° near junctions, less than 5 metres from the extension of the nearest edge of the cross roadway , except under local regulations . The distance is measured from this extension, not from the centre of the junction, and the rule applies whether the junction has traffic lights or not.

Cases 8 and 9, Traffic light signals: 20 metres

8° less than 20 metres before traffic light signals placed at junctions , except under local regulations 9° less than 20 metres before traffic light signals placed outside junctions , here, no local exception

Case 10, Road signs: 20 metres, with a specific exception

10° less than 20 metres before road signs . A specific exception applies to cases 9° and 10°: they do not concern vehicles whose height, including load, does not exceed 1.65 m , when the lower edge of the sign is at least 2 metres above the roadway. An ordinary car parked under a high-placed sign obscures nothing: this is the logic of the rule.

Case 11, Raised devices

11° on raised devices (speed bumps, platforms), except under local regulations .

And on the motorway?

The motorway does not appear in article 24: it has its own rule. Article 21.4, 4° prohibits placing a vehicle at a stop or parked there, except in parking areas indicated by signal E9a . In case of breakdown, articles 51.1 and 51.4 apply: park the vehicle, signal with the triangle placed at 100 metres on the motorway.

What article 24 does not say

Two misconceptions to set aside. First, the code does not mention roundabouts among the cases prohibiting stopping: stopping there falls under the general rule of danger or unnecessary obstruction, not under a specific prohibition. Next, tram rails are also not listed in article 24: it is article 25.1, 6° that prohibits parking at places where the passage of rail vehicles would be obstructed.

Group 2, Article 25.1: parking prohibited, stopping allowed (15 cases)

In the fifteen situations that follow, you may stop , for the time required for the loading or unloading of persons or things, but you may not park .

E1

E1, Parking prohibited. You may not leave your vehicle parked beyond the sign, but stopping remains allowed for the time required for the loading or unloading of persons or things. An inscription may limit the prohibition to certain hours, certain days or a category of vehicles.

Cases 1 to 5 of article 25.1

1° less than 1 metre both in front of and behind another vehicle at rest or parked, and anywhere your vehicle would prevent access to another vehicle or its removal 2° less than 15 metres on either side of a sign indicating a bus, trolleybus or tram stop 3° in front of carriage access to properties, except for the vehicle whose registration number is clearly reproduced at that access 4° at places where pedestrians, cyclists and riders of two-wheeled mopeds must use the roadway to go around an obstacle 5° anywhere your vehicle would prevent access to parking spaces established off the roadway

Exam trap: at a bus stop, the 15 metres apply on either side of the sign, not only upstream, and they only prohibit parking . Brief stopping to let a passenger get off remains permitted there, as long as it does not obstruct the bus or tram (general rule of article 24, paragraph 1).

Cases 6 to 10 of article 25.1

6° at places where the passage of rail vehicles would be obstructed 7° when the width of the free passage on the roadway would be reduced to less than 3 metres 8° outside built-up areas, on the roadway of a public road provided with signal B9 (priority road) 9° on the roadway divided into traffic lanes , except at places provided with signal E9a or E9b 10° on the roadway, along the discontinuous yellow line provided for in article 75.1.2°

Cases 11 to 15 of article 25.1

11° on two-way roadways, on the opposite side from where another vehicle is already at rest or parked, when the crossing of two other vehicles would be made difficult 12° on the central roadway of a public road with three roadways 13° outside built-up areas, on the left side of a roadway of a public road with two roadways, or on the median strip separating them 14° at spaces reserved for disabled persons holding the special card, marked in accordance with article 70.2.1.3° c 15° on the lateral strips referred to in article 75.3 Article 25.2 adds a separate prohibition: displaying a vehicle on the public road for sale or rental .

The placement reference: article 23

Before even asking whether the place is allowed, you must park correctly (art. 23.1 and 23.2): to the right in relation to the direction of travel, on either side if the roadway is one-way , off the roadway on the level shoulder, or on any shoulder outside built-up areas. On a shoulder that pedestrians must use, a usable strip of at least 1.50 m must remain available to them. The vehicle parked on the roadway must be at the greatest possible distance from the centre line , parallel to the edge and in a single file ; motorcycles without sidecars may park perpendicularly without exceeding the marking.

Tram rails: stopping or parking?

The code does not prohibit stopping on tram rails by a specific provision: it is parking that is prohibited at places where the passage of rail vehicles would be obstructed (art. 25.1, 6°). In practice, stopping on rails integrated into the roadway remains possible in the flow of traffic, but the general rule of article 24, not to constitute a danger or cause unnecessary obstruction, applies fully.

Roadway divided into traffic lanes

On a roadway divided into traffic lanes, parking is prohibited (art. 25.1, 9°), except at places provided with signal E9a or E9b . Stopping, however, remains possible, subject, always, to not creating a danger or unnecessary obstruction.

Roadway with traffic lanes: parking prohibited

Signage and law: two sources of prohibition

Do not confuse the two origins of a prohibition. Articles 24 and 25.1 apply without any sign : it is the law that prohibits, the driver must recognize the place. Signals E1 and E3 , on the other hand, add a prohibition where the law does not provide for one , on the side where they are placed and up to the next intersection. A street without a sign is therefore not a street where everything is permitted.

Stopping

Vehicle immobilized for the time required for the loading or unloading of persons or things (art. 2.22). No specific duration: it is the purpose that qualifies.

Parking

Vehicle immobilized beyond the time required for the loading or unloading of persons or things (art. 2.23). Refueling or recharging the battery counts as parking.

Involuntary immobilization

Vehicle stopped by circumstances (red light, queue, instruction from an agent, obligation to give way). This is neither a stop nor parking within the meaning of articles 2.22 and 2.23: the prohibitions of articles 24 and 25.1 do not apply.

Summary: article 24 (11 cases) and article 25.1 (15 cases)

Article No. Location Stop Parking Local exemption 24 1° Sidewalks; protruding shoulders in built-up areas Prohibited Prohibited Yes 2° Cycle paths; 5 m before entry/exit of path Prohibited Prohibited No 3° Level crossings Prohibited Prohibited No 4° Pedestrian and cyclist crossings; 5 m before Prohibited Prohibited No 5° Underpasses, tunnels, under bridges Prohibited Prohibited Yes (bridges) 6° Top of hill and bend without visibility Prohibited Prohibited No 7° Vicinity of junctions: 5 m Prohibited Prohibited Yes 8° Traffic lights at junction: 20 m before Prohibited Prohibited Yes 9° Traffic lights outside junction: 20 m before Prohibited Prohibited No 10° Road signs: 20 m before Prohibited Prohibited Exception 1.65 m / 2 m 11° Raised devices Prohibited Prohibited Yes 25.1 1° Less than 1 m in front of or behind a vehicle Allowed Prohibited No 2° 15 m on either side of a bus, trolleybus, tram stop Allowed Prohibited No 3° In front of accessible entrances Allowed Prohibited Registration plate reproduced 4° Where pedestrians and cyclists must go around an obstacle Allowed Prohibited No 5° In front of access to off-road locations Allowed Prohibited No 6° Where passage of rail vehicles would be obstructed Allowed Prohibited No 7° Free passage reduced to less than 3 m Allowed Prohibited No 8° Outside built-up areas, roadway with signal B9 Allowed Prohibited No 9° Roadway divided into traffic lanes Allowed Prohibited Except E9a / E9b 10° Along the broken yellow line Allowed Prohibited No 11° Two-way roadway, opposite side from an already parked vehicle Allowed Prohibited If crossing difficult 12° Central roadway of a three-roadway route Allowed Prohibited No 13° Outside built-up areas, left side or median of a two-roadway route Allowed Prohibited No 14° Spaces reserved for disabled persons Allowed Prohibited Special card 15° Lateral strips (art. 75.3) Allowed Prohibited No

Major exam trap: the signal C46 means "end of all local prohibitions imposed on moving vehicles ". It therefore does not lift the prohibitions on stopping and parking, which concern immobilized vehicles. A prohibition E1 or E3 runs until the next junction, until the corresponding end signal, or until the start of another stopping or parking regulation.

Method: always ask yourself the question in this order. 1) Is the location listed in article 24 ? Then even stopping is excluded. 2) Otherwise, is it listed in article 25.1 ? Then stopping is allowed, parking is not. 3) Otherwise, is there an E1 or E3 signal on my side, between the signal and the next junction? 4) Finally, in all cases: does my vehicle constitute a danger or a nuisance without necessity ? The distances to memorize are few: 1 m (other vehicle), 3 m (free passage), 5 m (junctions, crossings, cycle paths), 15 m (public transport stops), 20 m (lights and signals).

Key points to remember

Two separate lists: article 24 = stopping and parking prohibited ( 11 cases ); article 25.1 = parking prohibited, stopping allowed ( 15 cases ) General rule of article 24: never a hazard nor obstruction without necessity , the list is only exemplary Pedestrian and cyclist crossings , as well as the 5 m before , also prohibit stopping The top of a hill and the bend with no visibility also prohibit stopping Distances: 1 m in front of/behind a vehicle, 3 m of free passage, 5 m at intersections and crossings, 15 m on either side of a bus stop, 20 m before traffic lights and signals Exception to the 20 m rule: does not apply to a vehicle of at most 1.65 m high if the lower edge of the signal is at 2 m at least Motorway : stopping and parking prohibited, except on areas marked E9a (art. 21.4, 4°) Roundabouts and tram rails are not listed in article 24, be careful with questions that claim otherwise C46 does not lift stopping and parking prohibitions

And now?

First complete the quiz for this lesson to validate your knowledge, then practice on the exam simulator and MCQs . You have completed this module. Next module: Regulated zones .

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