No Stopping Any Time Sign: Meaning and What to Do
The white rectangle reading NO STOPPING ANY TIME in red prohibits bringing a vehicle to a halt at the curb it faces, even briefly and even with the driver at the wheel. It is the strictest of the three curbside rules, above No Standing and No Parking.
No Stopping Any Time Sign
No Stopping zones sit where a halted vehicle would block traffic or sight lines: bus lanes, narrow bridges, fire lanes, and stretches near intersections. The double arrow shows that the rule applies in both directions from the sign; a single arrow would limit it to one side.
What to do when you see the no stopping any time sign
Do not stop along this curb for any reason short of an emergency or a traffic signal, not to drop off a passenger, not to check a map, not to wait for someone. If you need to stop, drive to a curb without the sign. Stopping in traffic because the light is red is not a violation of the sign.
The signs it is confused with
Tests ask for the ranking: No Parking still allows a brief stop to load or unload people or goods, No Standing allows stopping only to load or unload passengers, and No Stopping allows none of it. The sign with STOPPING is the most restrictive.
Signs are one topic of ten on every test
Every state practice test covers signs, signals, and markings among its ten topics, with every answer explained. Pick your state and see how its exam asks about signs like this one; it is free, with no sign-up.
Choose your stateQuestions about the no stopping any time sign
What does no stopping any time mean?
You may not bring your vehicle to a halt at this curb for any purpose, at any hour, even momentarily with the driver present.
What is the difference between no stopping, no standing, and no parking?
No Parking allows a short stop to load or unload passengers or goods. No Standing allows only a brief stop for passengers. No Stopping allows no stop at all. Each is stricter than the last.
What do the arrows on the sign mean?
The direction the restriction extends. A double arrow means both directions from the post; a single arrow means only that way.
Am I violating the sign if traffic ahead stops me?
No. Stopping because traffic or a signal requires it is not a voluntary stop at the curb. The sign governs stopping by choice.
How does this sign appear on the written test?
Almost always as the three-way comparison with No Standing and No Parking, asking which allows what.