Place to pull over was positioned close (3-2)
I believe the answer is:
lay-by
'pull over was positioned close' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'place to' is the wordplay.
'place' becomes 'lay' (laying is a kind of placing).
'to' becomes 'by' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'lay'+'by'='LAY-BY'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lay-by that I've seen before include "Stopping area by road" , "Roadside pull-in" , "Into which one may pull over" , "Roadside parking place" , "Area off a busy road" .)