Access protection marking (white-lines)

You must read all of the below information before applying. 

What is an access protection marking (APM)?

An access protection marking (APM) also known as an ‘H bar’ is an advisory road marking. APMs are marked out with white lines and are used to identify a vehicle access and make motorists aware that the access is required at all times of day.

Although they have no legal status it is an offence on the grounds of obstruction to park across a vehicle access.

“Regulation 103 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 creates the offence of unnecessary obstruction. No person in charge of a motor vehicle or trailer shall cause or permit the vehicle to stand on a road so as to cause any unnecessary obstruction of the road”.

If a vehicle blocks a driveway the resident can contact the police on the non-emergency number 101.

Enforcement by civil enforcement officers of a vehicle access will only be undertaken during regular patrols; this is not a reactive service and no vehicles can be made exempt from such enforcement, including the residents own vehicles.

APMs are not essential for the enforcement of a vehicle to be undertaken. More details can be found in our parking section.

Fee

We currently charge £117 per application which applies for new and the repainting of existent access protection markings.

You must complete an application form and the fees be paid in full before the application will be processed. 

Eligibility criteria

You can only apply for an APM if you meet the following eligibility criteria:

• You must live in Staffordshire on a public highway. We cannot install APM on private roads. 
  
  
• You must have a dropped kerb to either a garage or driveway.
  
  
• APMs can only be considered where the vehicle access kerbing is noticeably lower than the surrounding kerb line and where the upstand on the kerb face is 50mm or less, otherwise it is difficult to differentiate between the raised and dropped kerbs. 
  
  
• We will not approve an individual APM where the vehicle access extends over a number of properties. This could look as if we were condoning parking over the adjacent vehicle accesses. 
  
  
• Where a vehicle access is shared by two properties both properties will need to give consent but this can be submitted on one application.
  
  
• APMs will only be considered if there is sufficient space to park a vehicle off the public highway in line with our  vehicle access crossing guidance. An absolute minimum of 4.8m from the boundary of the property is required although 6m is preferred. 15” 9 minimum prefer 19” 8’. This is to ensure that any vehicles do not obstruct the footway.
  
  
• The applicant must clearly demonstrate that the location is in close proximity to an establishment that generates a sufficient amount of on street parking such as a shop, church or place of worship or a school etc. APMs will not be considered where parking issues are a result of neighbours or local residents parking. 
  
  
• If there are waiting restrictions already in place these are already enforceable by civil enforcement officers and so APMs would generally be deemed unnecessary in these locations.
  
  
• APMs will only cover the extent of the dropped crossing from the start of one dropped kerb to the end of the other; they will not deter vehicles from parking adjacent to your vehicle access and cannot be extended to incorporate this.
  
  
• APMs will not be supplied to prevent parking on the opposite side of the road from your vehicle access. 
  
  
• APMs cannot be used to reserve on street parking.
  
  
• APMs will not be considered for newly constructed or extended vehicle access crossings (under 3 months) as the applicant is unable to predetermine if issues will arise.
  
  
• Blue Badge holders can provide there details as in certain circumstances, this may assist in your application being granted.

Please supply as much information as possible when making your application so we can best determine if your application is valid. If you are a blue badge holder please ensure that you also supply a photocopy of this when submitting your application.

Apply

You will be required to make a payment during the application. Charges are non-refundable and still apply if your application is not successful, so please read the eligibility criteria before applying.