About Kerbnow

Kerbnow is the UK parking sign decoder for iOS and Android. Point the camera at any sign, get a plain-English answer in seconds. We built it because parking signs in the UK are needlessly complicated and the penalty for getting it wrong is £65 to £130 a pop.

The story

The idea got tested in 2025 outside a meeting in central London. The sign on the lamppost stacked four restrictions on one pole. Mon-Fri 8:30 to 18:30, but free on bank holidays and Sundays. Single yellow except in the bay marked with a P. Residents only for permit zone H after 18:30. Loading bay 7 to 10 am. We stood there for three minutes trying to work out whether the day, the time and the bay we were in added up to "yes, free for the next hour" or "ticket already on the windscreen". We got it right, but it was the wrong way to spend three minutes.

Two months later the first build of Kerbnow shipped with one feature: read the sign, give the answer. We tested it on every sign in Camden, Westminster, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets. It got better. Then we added the day-and-time check and the saved-spots list. Every feature exists because we had used the app and wanted that thing next.

Kerbnow is rolling out across the UK on iOS and Android. No account needed to start.

How the decoder works

Point the phone camera at the sign. Kerbnow reads the restrictions, including time-of-day rules, day-of-week rules, zone codes, and special-day handling (Sundays, bank holidays, suspensions). The app cross-references the current time, the current day, the UK bank holiday calendar, and your location, then gives you a plain-English answer with the source rule alongside.

Reading a new sign takes a quick, secure round-trip to our decoding service, usually a couple of seconds, so a connection is needed to decode a fresh sign. Decoded sign photos are saved to your scan history so you can reference them later. Images are processed securely and never sold or used for ads, see the privacy policy for detail.

Who built it

Kerbnow is built and run by Shacksolutions LTD, a UK-registered product studio. We build useful, opinionated apps with no ads and no third-party tracking. Kerbnow is our second product. If you want to get in touch about a partnership, a council collaboration, or a press question, email kerbnow@shack.solutions.

Our commitments

• Your first sign decode is free. Unlimited decoding is a paid upgrade, Kerbnow Pro, and we show the price before you buy.
• No ads, ever. The app is a utility, not somewhere to sell your attention.
• Decoded sign photos are saved to your scan history so you can reference them later. Images are processed securely and never sold or used for ads. The privacy policy has the full detail.
• Saved spots stay usable, and signing in with Apple or Google is optional, only for syncing across devices.
• It is built for British parking rules. Other countries are a different problem.
• Kerbnow is a decoding aid, not a final ruling on whether you can legally park somewhere, so always check the sign against the answer. We are not liable for fines (see section 10 of the terms), but if Kerbnow misread we will look into it and chase the council where the underlying sign is wrong.

What is in the app today

• Decode any UK parking sign via the phone camera.
• Live day-and-time aware answer covering bank holidays and Sundays.
• Saved spots with move-the-car reminders.

Coming soon

• Postcode lookup for parking rules at any UK destination before you set off.
• PCN evidence pack if a sign was misread or unclear.

Get in touch

Bug reports, feature requests, anything else: kerbnow@shack.solutions. We read every email and reply within a couple of days.

Press and partnership enquiries: same address with "Press" or "Partnership" in the subject.

Follow Kerbnow on Instagram at @kerbnow.