Stafford Code 12, residents/shared zone,South Street

Parked this morning in this street to catch a train, I returned this evening to find a PCN attached to my vehicle for an offence of parking in a residents/shared parking zone without displaying a permit/voucher.

There is no signage on the entrance to South Street or the restricted zone at all as far as I can tell. A large length of fencing that I was parked along has no repeater signs at all, there were painted white bays but nothing else. I have taken pictures of the entrance to South Street to show no restricted zone information and of the length of fencing (including video). 

I feel like I should be able to appeal this for insufficient signage?

Images of fence line, a blank sign and the pcn attached

Thanks for the help!

https://imgpile.com/p/9QeoAVO

Can you please rejig your photo so it displays right way up

I’ve tried but the image hosting page keeps rotating them!

Google file link;

GSV shows several Permits Only Parking on the bay where you parked, but is dated July 2023

and

and

and


The bay is subdivided into individiual vehicle bays, but the restriction applies to all of them by having the bay boundary marking at each end: -

and
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QJ7rpHmgJkdCrZ1p8

So are you saying that the signs in the GSV view of July 2023 are no longer there ? Remember, any sign along that bay applies to the bay you parked in.

I took a video, the fence is now overgrown compared to 2023.



There is no signage whatsoever as you enter the estate, is that not a legal requirement to indicate it’s a restricted parking area?

As the fence is on your offside, then you cannot have been in the one-way part of South Street. You were therefore in the section from Russell Street, where the one-way section starts, to the bend, 6 parking bays in total within a much longer, internally divided, parking place with the restriction for its whole length of 'Permit holders only Mon-Sat 8am-6pm'.

GSV shows 3 traffic signs within your 6-bay length.

Are these facts correct?

We can't see a traffic sign in your photos, but they're yours, aren't they?

My van is parked facing wrong way - I needed access to the side door. I’m parked beyond Russel Street, facing towards Peel Street. One of the uploaded photos shows the front of my van, you can see a speed bump and junction to the right.

If you mean the photos are mine? Yes. I took them before moving off and before removing the PCN from the windscreen.

OK, so here is the GSV view dated July 2023 of South St at Russell St looking towards Peel St. Please tell us exactly where you were parked. Please note that this is still a continuous but subdivided bay startinng at the second kink in the road.

You can see a sign on the pole for the No Entry sign, then another two before you get to Peel St. We need to know if these signs have been removed.

Also the latest TRO for Stafford for parking and loading restrictions is 2018. So in theory, GSV views of 2023 are correct.

To be frank, I think you have misunderstood the signage arrangements. A long bay like this, subdivided into individual vehicle bays does not rquire a sign by each vehicle bay. From what I see on GSV, there are enough signs if you look for them. Parking in a marked bay demands that you look for the sign governing the days and times when one can park and when not.

Have you looked at the video I shared? This I’d pretty much the entire length of the bays.

I was parked approximately 5 bays from the no entry signs, the video shows no signage attached to the fence as in GSV 3 years ago (either gone or overgrown I assume). I also have an image from the side of the van showing no signage attached there and the single sign that is defaced or worn to the point of being unintelligible.

I don’t expect every bay to be signposted, but I thought there would have to be a sign at the entrance to the parking zone warning motorists it was a controlled zone? Those are absent too.

I was parked approximately 5 bays from the no entry signs, the video shows no signage attached to the fence as in GSV 3 years ago (either gone or overgrown I assume). I also have an image from the side of the van showing no signage attached there and the single sign that is defaced or worn to the point of being unintelligible.

I doubt that an adjudicator would warm to your* cause in light of driving through a No Entry sign and a considerable distance contrary to a one-way traffic flow. But each case turns on its own facts and this background is not relevant to whether there was adequate signage.

If there isn't clear enough signage to mark the restriction in your bay, then you should succeed. As posted by others, signs could be in other bays. The markings inform you that you are in an internally-divided parking place and the legal requirement is that the parking place restrictions are conveyed adequately. 'Adequately' is not defined.

I cannot find any photos on the Staffordshire website, perhaps others might have more success.

I'm assuming that the council would reject your initial representations which would be par for the course. The next stage would be that the registered keeper would be sent a Notice to Owner and ultimately appeal to the adjudicator. Are you the registered keeper with current DVLA details?

As I say, the signs in GSV are missing from the one way stretch of road.

The only remaining sign is the one that has worn to the point of being unreadable - that’s the one visible in the video. The video I’ve shared shows the length of the one way section of road and shows no signage that is visible. The fence line is overgrown.

I have appealed to the authority on the basis of inadequate signage and I’ll see how I get on.

I thought there would have to be a sign at the entrance to the parking zone warning motorists it was a controlled zone? Those are absent too.

It is not a controlled zone, just a normal urban parking bay marked out on the carriageway. It is of some length, so signs at intervals along it would follow best practice, and GSV shows these as present, but, as you say, they are missing except one that is unreadable.
Tell us how you get on, but I don't think the council will cancel the PCN, you will probably have to take them to adjudication and risk the full PCN.