In populated areas, on roads with one lane of traffic in each direction, in the absence of streetcar tracks in the middle, stop and park on the left side of the road:

Explanation

Permitted.

In a built-up area, on a road that has only one traffic lane in each direction and no tram tracks running down the middle, stopping and parking on the left-hand side of the carriageway is permitted. This is the only standard two-way case in which the law allows standing on the left.

The logic of the rule comes down to the behaviour of the traffic flow. On a narrow road with one lane in each direction and low urban speeds, a car parked on the left creates no surprise for any driver: everyone sees it from a distance and going round it is simple. But as soon as the road has two or more lanes in each direction, the situation changes; there, a driver coming at speed in the left-hand lane suddenly meets a stationary obstacle and is forced into an abrupt lane change. Tram tracks down the middle are a separate reason: a stopped car blocks the tram's path, and a tram cannot deviate.

Worth memorising: three conditions must hold at once — a built-up area, one traffic lane in each direction, and no tram tracks in the middle. If even one of the three is missing, the answer reverses. Remember that outside a built-up area this permission does not exist at all.

• This option generalises the rule "always stop on the right" to everywhere, whereas the law has made an express exception for this very case — a built-up area, one lane in each direction, no tram tracks.

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