Parallel Parking Alberta: Steps, Rules and Road Test Tips

Most learners who search "parallel parking Alberta" want two things: clear steps, and the rules that apply on test day. Both are below. The steps and distances come from the Alberta Driver's Guide, which says this kind of parking may seem hard at first and needs practice.

Reversing basics come first

Parallel parking is mostly reversing, so get the basics right before you try a real space. The Driver's Guide gives these points:

• To reverse to the right, look over your right shoulder, with frequent glances to the front.
• Turn the steering wheel in the direction you want the rear of the car to go.
• Remember that the front of the car swings the opposite way.
• Move at a crawl. Slow speed gives you time to judge and correct.

It is illegal to reverse into an intersection or a crosswalk. Keep that in mind when you pick a space near a corner.

The steps, one at a time

These steps follow the method for parallel parking Alberta's Driver's Guide describes. They are for a space between two parked vehicles at the right-side curb. The car ahead of the space is vehicle B.

1. Approach and check. Check behind you for traffic. Brake gently, well before the space, so your brake lights warn drivers behind. Make sure the space is long enough for your car.
2. Line up. Stop when your rear bumper is level with the rear bumper of vehicle B. Your car should be parallel to it, with about one metre of space between you.
3. Look before you move. Shift into reverse. Look over your right shoulder and behind to make sure the space is still clear.
4. Start the turn. Reverse straight at a crawl for about half a metre. Then, still moving slowly, steer sharply right until your car is at about 45 degrees to the curb.
5. Straighten. Straighten your front wheels and keep reversing slowly. Continue until the right corner of your front bumper is level with the rear bumper of vehicle B.
6. Swing in. Turn the wheel sharply left and keep reversing until your car is parallel with the curb. Watch the bumper of the car behind you.
7. Check your distance. The law requires your wheels to be no more than 50 centimetres from the curb.

At step 4, the guide says your steering wheel should line up with the rear bumper of vehicle B. That makes a useful reference point.

Leaving a parallel space

Pulling out safely matters as much as getting in. The Driver's Guide sets out this order:

• Check all your mirrors.
• Reverse, looking over your right shoulder through the rear window, until you are close to the car behind. Do not touch it.
• Turn on your left signal.
• Look over your left shoulder for traffic and cyclists your mirrors cannot show.
• Move forward slowly about one metre while steering sharply left.
• When it is safe, drive into the nearest lane without touching the car in front.

Getting out of the car on a two-way street needs care too. Check your mirrors and shoulder check to the left. Open the door only as wide as you need and get out quickly. Walk to the curb around the rear of the car, facing traffic.

Where you cannot park

A perfect park in the wrong place is still wrong. The Driver's Guide lists places where you must not park, including:

• Within 5 metres of a fire hydrant.
• Within 5 metres of a stop sign or yield sign.
• Within 5 metres of the nearest side of a marked crosswalk.
• Within an intersection, or closer than 5 metres to the edge of a crossing road, unless parking is allowed there.
• Within 1.5 metres of a garage, private road or driveway entrance.
• On a bridge or underpass, or on the approaches to one.
• Beside another parked vehicle, which would be double parking.
• Anywhere a sign bans stopping or parking.

Always read the signs on the block before you commit to a space.

Parking on the road test

The Class 5 road test includes parking. The Driver's Guide lists perpendicular, uphill or downhill, and parallel parking. Drivers over 65 do not have to parallel park.

Two parking mistakes lead to an automatic fail. One is climbing over the curb while parking. The other is not being able to park legally in three attempts. Even on test day, parallel parking Alberta rules still apply, so finish within 50 centimetres of the curb.

Hill parking is on the test too. When facing uphill beside a curb, turn your front wheels left. Let the car roll back gently until the right front tire touches the curb. Facing uphill with no curb, turn the wheels right. Facing downhill, always turn them right.

Our Alberta road test checklist covers the rest of test day.

How to practise

• Start easy. Use an empty lot and two markers before you try a street with real cars.
• Pick reference points. Learn where the bumper of vehicle B appears in your window at each step.
• Go slow on purpose. A crawl gives you time to correct. Rushing is what leads to bumps.
• Reset calmly. If a try goes wrong, pull forward and start again. Just remember the three-attempt limit on test day.
• Practise both ways out. Leaving the space is part of the skill.

Parking is part of what our lessons cover, one-on-one in our car. If you already hold a licence and want to sharpen this skill, a Brush-Up, by the hour or as the Winter Brush-Up 2hrs, gives you focused time. New learners practise parking as part of the Full Course.