Hoe ver van een zebrapad mag je parkeren?

Minstens 5 meter ervóór. Na het zebrapad mag je wel direct aansluitend staan.

Wat is het verschil tussen stilstaan en parkeren?

Stilstaan is kort stoppen om in of uit te stappen of te laden en lossen. Duurt het langer, dan parkeer je.

Mag je parkeren op een fietssuggestiestrook?

Ja, dat mag, zolang je niemand hindert en er geen verbodsbord staat.

Stopping and Parking in Belgium: Distances and Zones

Stopping is a brief halt to let people get in or out or to load and unload. Anything that takes longer is parking. The most well-known rules are the 5-meter rule at pedestrian crossings and intersections, and the 20-meter rule at traffic lights and signs.

The Difference Between Stopping and Parking

Stopping your vehicle for the time needed to let people get in or out, or to load and unload goods.

Parking any stop that lasts longer. Waiting for a passenger, making a phone call at the roadside, or charging your electric vehicle legally falls under parking.

The 5-Meter Rule

Car 5 meters from a pedestrian crossing — Keep at least 5 meters clear in front of a pedestrian crossing.

You may not stop or park on a pedestrian crossing or bicycle crossing, nor on the roadway up to 5 meters before it. However, you may stop directly after the crossing. The same 5 meters applies at intersections: you must keep at least 5 meters away from the corner, so that visibility for other traffic remains clear. This prohibition applies to both stopping and parking.

The 20-Meter Rule

Car 20 meters from a traffic light — Keep at least 20 meters clear in front of lights and signs.

You must keep at least 20 meters clear in front of traffic lights and traffic signs when your vehicle could obstruct visibility. You may park closer if two conditions are met: the bottom of the sign or light is at least 2 meters above the roadway, and your vehicle is, including load, lower than 1.65 meters.

5 mbefore pedestrian crossings and intersections

20 mbefore lights and signs

Where May You Never Stop or Park?

On sidewalks, bicycle paths, and bicycle crossings.
On motorways and main roads.
Double parked next to another vehicle on the roadway.
On a checkerboard marking on the roadway.

Where Does Only a Parking Prohibition Apply?

In the following places, you may not park, but you may stop briefly to load or unload:

In front of a driveway or garage door, unless your own license plate is indicated on the door.
Along a yellow broken line at the edge of the road.
When the free passage on the roadway becomes narrower than 3 meters as a result.

Bicycle Suggestion Lane and Bicycle Zone

On a bicycle suggestion lane (the colored lane without the blue bicycle path sign) and within a bicycle zone, you may generally stop and park, as long as you do not obstruct traffic and there are no prohibition signs E1 or E3 present.

The Signs E1 and E3

Sign E1 means parking prohibition, sign E3 means stopping and parking prohibition. They apply on the side of the road where they are located, up to the next intersection, and both on the roadway and on the shoulder.

E1 · Parking ProhibitionA red circle with one diagonal stripe. You may not park here, but you may stop briefly to load or get in. Applies on both the roadway and the shoulder.

Sign E3 stopping and parking prohibition

E3 · Stopping and Parking ProhibitionYou may not even stop briefly here, not even on the shoulder.

The white supplementary signs with arrows clarify the zone:

Upward Arrow: the prohibition begins from this sign.
Downward Arrow: the prohibition ends just before this sign.
Arrow in Both Directions: the prohibition continues (a repetition).

Frequently Asked Questions

At least 5 meters before it. After the pedestrian crossing, you may stop directly adjacent.

Stopping is a brief halt to get in or out or to load and unload. If it takes longer, you are parking.

Yes, it is allowed, as long as you do not obstruct anyone and there is no prohibition sign.

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Further Reading: Traffic Signs · Right of Way Rules · All Traffic Rules

Last updated: June 2026 · Content verified by Mathieu, instructor · Source: the Belgian Highway Code

Stopping and Parking: Distances and Zones