The Supreme Court said that it was approached by a driver who last September parked their vehicle on the side of the road close to but not on clearly marked parking spaces at Ranna puiestee 1b in the city of Pärnu, which caused them to be fined €20.

The driver maintained that there was nothing to indicate that parking on the side of the road leading to the parking area was not allowed. They challenged the fine in Pärnu County Court, but the court decided last December not to satisfy the challenge and ordered the driver to pay the procedure expenses.

The Criminal Review Chamber of the Supreme Court decided on Wednesday to side with the driver, signifying that according to current legislation, parking is allowed everywhere it's not explicitly prohibited.

While the driver was fined for parking next to clearly marked parking spaces, the court determined that the vehicle had been parked away from the parking spaces, on the side of the road leading to the parking area.

The Supreme Court clarified that close to and next to are not synonymous concepts, which is why the Traffic Act can be interpreted as prohibiting parking only immediately next to parking spaces designated using road markings.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!