Ontario Parking Rules and Distances
Review selected Ontario parking distances, stopping and standing signs, hill parking and safe door opening.
The three words are not interchangeable.
No parking permits a brief stop to load or unload passengers or goods. No standing permits loading or unloading passengers, but not goods. No stopping does not permit a voluntary stop, even for a passenger waiting beside the road. These signs do not tell you to ignore traffic controls or police directions.
Learn the distances as a set.
The handbook says not to park within 3 metres of a fire hydrant, 9 metres of an intersection, or 15 metres of an intersection controlled by traffic lights. At a level railway crossing, measure the 15 metres from the nearest rail. Obey local restrictions too; municipal parking rules are not always posted on signs.
On a hill, the wheels do the work.
Facing downhill, turn the front wheels toward the curb so a rolling vehicle is stopped by it. Facing uphill with a curb, turn them away from the curb so a backward roll brings a tire against it. With no curb at all, aim the wheels so any roll takes the vehicle off the road rather than into traffic. Set the parking brake in every case.
Check before opening the door.
Before opening a door beside traffic, check for cyclists, pedestrians and approaching vehicles. Use your mirror and look over your shoulder. The handbook suggests opening the driver’s door with your right hand to encourage that shoulder check. Keep a door beside traffic open only as long as needed to load or unload passengers.