I was chatting to a guy in cambridge servises and he told me that he parked in a layby a few weeks ago in cambridge area and got a ticket for parking at night without lights apparently this is the latest thing thats going on in that area, has any body else heard anything like this , i no the highway code says that you should have lights on in unlit roads any thoughts …
Police used to do you around Hull in the eightys unless you were parked in a layby that had a physical barrier in between you and the road,like a kerb island thingy (i know what i mean )
I maybe wrong I quite often am 
But I seem to remember that being a problem years ago, I was told the layby had to have a grass or kerbed section, with an entry and exit so it was seperated from the road. I have parked in open laybys all over the country for years, and never had any problems from the police.
malcn:
Police used to do you around Hull in the eightys unless you were parked in a layby that had a physical barrier in between you and the road,like a kerb island thingy (i know what i mean )
So do i !
They keep on having crack downs in different areas when the coffers are getting low. Personally if I’m in a layby I leave the lights on if I get a flat battery the boss might start paying for proper parking areas.
If I was running a [zb] wheel clamping racket I would tell my goons to target commercial vehicles regardless of the law as they are more likely to pay up from company coffers without a fuss.
There are scum out there willing to make a wage out of misery 
If i remeber correctly if your vehicle was within 4 ft from the road it didnt need lights on outside of that ,it needed sidelights on.
bjd:
malcn:
Police used to do you around Hull in the eightys unless you were parked in a layby that had a physical barrier in between you and the road,like a kerb island thingy (i know what i mean )So do i !
And me, it was always so as well.
250
Cars, goods vehicles not exceeding 1525 kg unladen weight, invalid carriages, motorcycles and pedal cycles may be parked without lights on a road (or lay-by) with a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) or less if they are
at least 10 metres (32 feet) away from any junction, close to the kerb and facing in the direction of the traffic flow
in a recognised parking place or lay-byOther vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road (or lay-by) at night without lights.
[Laws RVLR reg 24 & CUR reg 82(7)]
The police used to have a regular purge on the M62 spur road as you came off the motorway towards Howden at Junction 37
Mate got done a few years ago in a Industrial est in manchester for the same thing ! ,
BUT his saving grace was that there was 4 trucks all parked up, 3 Brit trucks and one German, the 3 brits got done the German never !
When pointed out to the cops they sayed it was " to much hastle" to chase down a German fine!
he took it to appeal and won because it was un fair that they never done the 4 off them .
malcn:
Police used to do you around Hull in the eightys unless you were parked in a layby that had a physical barrier in between you and the road,like a kerb island thingy (i know what i mean )
yep , know what you mean.
Same happened around Felixstowe and Ipswich too.
Issue was highlighted when wagons got struck from rear and side-on in foggy/adverse weather conditions + in unlit areas.
Hence the layby hard kerb safety space dividers from the carriageway emplacement.
I heard 6 lorries got struck in a row in a layby about 6 or 8 months ago on A42 because there was no safety divider to deflect the wandering straif lorry that side swiped them all.
Rule of thumb - no divider / marker lights lit.
Its the same thing as parking a skip on roadside — it should be marked up + lit highlighted accordingly.
It amazes me that people still park up overnight in laybys right next to the carraigeway.
I park in laybys regular but always with a dividing kerb / grass verge or whatever.
If need be I will go over my time to find SAFE and SUITABLE parking , and if questioned about the hours defend it in court.
Parking next to the road is asking for trouble from plod, tired drivers, etc
At the very least you cant sleep well due to being rocked by passing traffic all night.
toowise:
It amazes me that people still park up overnight in laybys right next to the carraigeway.I park in laybys regular but always with a dividing kerb / grass verge or whatever.
If need be I will go over my time to find SAFE and SUITABLE parking , and if questioned about the hours defend it in court.
Parking next to the road is asking for trouble from plod, tired drivers, etcAt the very least you cant sleep well due to being rocked by passing traffic all night.
There are still a few places that you can get away with parking without lights. A regular stop for me was at Bean near the cafe, it was nice to get up to a nice cuppa and a big sausage cob
Wheel Nut:
toowise:
It amazes me that people still park up overnight in laybys right next to the carraigeway.I park in laybys regular but always with a dividing kerb / grass verge or whatever.
If need be I will go over my time to find SAFE and SUITABLE parking , and if questioned about the hours defend it in court.
Parking next to the road is asking for trouble from plod, tired drivers, etcAt the very least you cant sleep well due to being rocked by passing traffic all night.
There are still a few places that you can get away with parking without lights. A regular stop for me was at Bean near the cafe, it was nice to get up to a nice cuppa and a big sausage cob
Aye Bean used to be okay but don’t know if you still get away with it now. As quoted before though, apart from the likes of Bean in 30yrs on the road I’ve never used a lay by without a divide or an ind.est. that’s not a cul de sac (therefore no through traffic). Have lots of big lay bys I use regularily though, often old bits of carriageway & mostly with a hostelry within a few minutes walk & even on the lay by in some cases 
I hate stopping in laybys for my break so it must be awful to night out in them.
Also a while back i saw a truck that had smashed into a line of trucks parked over night in a layby on the A42. It had no divide so was near enough on the road edge. The carnage was unbelieveable!
Wheel Nut:
There are still a few places that you can get away with parking without lights. A regular stop for me was at Bean near the cafe, it was nice to get up to a nice cuppa and a big sausage cob
Go on then Wheelnut enlighten me please, Ive bean 
trying to rack my brains thinking where this is. Somewhere back in the mists of time it rings a bell but I must be half baked coz I cant remember.
toowise:
Wheel Nut:
There are still a few places that you can get away with parking without lights. A regular stop for me was at Bean near the cafe, it was nice to get up to a nice cuppa and a big sausage cobGo on then Wheelnut enlighten me please, Ive bean
The old A2. Runs to the left of the “new” twin track. Quarry hole on the left Merrychest Cafe on the right. Lay by on the left side of road about 400yds long. Leads out onto the dual carriageway at the top of the bank where the coast bound carriageway becomes 4 lane.
I’ve been done for this, when i looked into it if the layby does not have a designated parking area then you should leave lights on, I use LED bike lights on the off side front and back as parking lights and I have had no trouble since and these things will go for a month of nights out on the same batteries. Bike lights from the pound shop, happy days. Although I do avoid small laybys when ever possible. I got one ticket at the top of A15 nr 180, and that layby is fairly wide.
Whats the purpose of having to have your sidelights on at night when parked up? trees, walls and fly tipped sofas don’t seem to be affected by this rule 
I got a warning off our local plod about it, just parked the motor there didn’t sleep in it, so I then just used to drop the trailer there which didn’t need lights and parked the unit in my garden (the morning fog kept the greenfly down anyway 
).
So putting a bike light at the front and back of a artic would be enough to keep plod of your back 