Free Traffic Legal Advice

I am writing to formally challenge the above Penalty Charge Notice regarding an alleged bus lane contravention for the reasons set out below.


1.  Inadequate advance warning of the bus lane. A blue sign in Camden Road just before Lyme Street is obscured by a Congestion Charge sign. Please see Image 1, this photo was taken while standing on the inside lane of the road. There should be adequate advance warning of the presence of a bus lane.

2.  Confusing road markings at the junction with traffic lights at Camden Street. The inside lane becomes the bus lane immediately after the yellow box junction with traffic lights at Camden Street. The bus lane starts so close to the junction that the dotted white line of the bus lane meets the yellow line of the box junction – see Image 2. Therefore, motorists in the inside lane at the junction intending to drive straight on are not permitted to exit the junction in the same lane. However, the arrow marker on the road at the stop line indicates motorists may continue straight on – see Image 3 taken from Google Maps, but doing so results in a fine. I believe there is a duty on TfL to ensure signs and road markings are clear and not misleading.

3. No BUS LANE legend. At no point does the bus lane have the words “Bus Lane” written on the tarmac from its commencement at Camden Street to its end. Other bus lanes in the Camden area do.

I therefore request the PCN be cancelled. Thank you.

Thank you for your informal representation received regarding the above Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

In your representation, you have stated that the signage before Lyme Street is obscured by a congestion charge sign. You do not feel fair that the inside lane immediately leads to the bus lane after the yellow box junction. The motorists in the inside lane at the junction intending to drive straight on are not permitted to exit the junction at the same lane. You noted the presence of the arrow at the stop line indicates to drive straight on. You further made points in regards to the absence of the words ‘BUS LANE’ on the tarmac. You have provided photographic evidence to support your statement.

You have stated that the signage is obscured by the congestion charge sign and the inside lanes leads to bus lane immediately. Please be advised that your vehicle was observed from 11:51:41 to 11:51:44 where we can see that your vehicle was travelling through the bus lane.

We consider your own evidence demonstrates the presence of the required statutory signage required for the bus lane in accordance with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD) and the guidance from the Department of Transport for traffic authorities found in the Traffic Signs Manual (TSM). It demonstrates adequate advance warning of the bus lane, including how the bus lane starts after the next junction and the presence of the bus lane start signage.

We would also reflect that your images are not a reflection of a driver positions. There is no requirement to include the BUS LANE legend on the carriageway, in this instance the provision of the bus stop marking takes priority. As such we consider the bus lane is correctly marked and are not confusing when considering the provisions of the TSRGD and the TSM. We consider your images from google maps are not representative and are not contemporaneous.

We issued the PCN because your vehicle was observed travelling within a bus lane in CAMDEN ROAD SW-BND FROM CAMDEN STREET on 25/12/2025 at 11:51. Travelling within a bus lane during its operational hours constitutes a contravention. The sign in place states: Buses, Dial-a-Ride Buses, Pedal Cycles, Taxis and Solo Motorcycles Mon – Sun At Any Time. The bus lane is clearly sign posted and marked out on the road surface.

The onus is on the driver to be aware of the bus lane and its restrictions. Drivers are not permitted to drive in a bus lane during its period of operation unless exempt. We have checked and the signage and markings meet all the statutory requirements as set down in the Traffic Signs Regulations & General Direction 2016. Please note the onus is on the driver to be aware of road signs as laid out in the Highway Code, section 120: “Bus and Tram Lanes… are shown by road markings and signs. You must not drive or stop in a bus lane during its period of operation unless the signs indicate you may do so.” (Law RTRA scts 5 & .

Transport for London (TfL) has considered your informal representation. However we do not consider you have established grounds or suitable reasons for the penalty charge to be cancelled.

If you do not pay the outstanding Penalty Charge amount, an Enforcement Notice may be issued. The Enforcement Notice will provide a further 28 days from the date on which it is served to make a payment of the outstanding amount, or to make a formal representation. You must make your representation within the time frame permitted and in the manner stated on the notice. If you delay making your representation we may not have to consider it. A duly made representation will be considered and a formal decision will be sent to you. If we reject your representation we will set out your right of appeal to an Independent Adjudicator and the time limits for doing so.

Please note we may not consider any additional informal representations that are made before the Enforcement Notice is issued.

If you do not make a payment or representation, a Charge Certificate may be issued 28 days from the date of service of the Enforcement Notice. The Charge Certificate will increase the charge by 50% of the original amount. If the increased Penalty Charge is not then paid we may apply to the County Court to recover the penalty charge which will incur a further charge of £10 per Penalty Charge Notice.

Amount Outstanding: £80.00

The Enforcement Notice increases the penalty charge to £160, so are you prepared to risk the extra £80 ? If you're not, then it's pay-up time.

Our Hippocrates has won some on this basis, so hopefully he will explain it.

Dear TfL
Ref: PCN GX32154918
VRM: RF22YCX
I make this formal representation as follows:
The PCN is unenforceable because:
1. The reference to the Interpretation Act is both irrelevant and confusing, as the legislation pertaining to bus lane enforcement refers to actions which may be taken by the authority and/or appellant from the date of the notice.
2. The statement: "Any written correspondence before the issue of the Enforcement Notice will not be treated as a formal representation" fetters discretion and is contrary to the legislation, in that it clearly implies that you will send an Enforcement Notice when the legislation at Schedule 1, paragraph 1(1) of the London Local Authorities Act 1996 states "may":
"the council concerned may serve a notice…"
See: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/1996/9/schedule/1/enacted
3. The statement: "It will not entitle you to the right of appeal" is both absurd and flies in the face of the law and natural justice. Further, the next statement about consideration seems to contradict what has been previously stated.
4. The statement: "Failure to respond or contact us within 28 days of the service date of this notice will result in the Enforcement Notice automatically being sent to you after this period" similarly fetters discretion and also misstates the time period.

The alleged contravention did not occur — inadequate and misleading signage
This is my strongest ground and I set it out in detail.
I was travelling south-westbound on Camden Road approaching the junction with Camden Street. The road layout at this location is actively misleading for the following reasons:
(a) Signage obscured by the Congestion Charge sign. The bus lane advance warning sign (diagram 958 per TSRGD 2016) before Lyme Street is obscured by the Congestion Charge sign positioned in front of it. The Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 3, paragraph 15.9 requires that advance indication of a with-flow bus lane via a diagram 958 sign should be sited with a minimum clear visibility distance of 45 metres (on 30mph roads). If the sign is obscured by another sign, this requirement is not met. TfL is under a duty to provide reasonable signing so as to give the motorist fair warning of restrictions in force, and this extends to ensuring signs are not occluded by other street furniture.
(b) The inside lane funnels directly into the bus lane after the yellow box junction. A driver lawfully positioned in the inside lane at the junction, intending to drive straight on as indicated by the directional arrow at the stop line, is given no meaningful opportunity to avoid entering the bus lane. The road layout effectively traps compliant drivers into a contravention. The presence of the directional arrow indicating straight-ahead travel is positively misleading in these circumstances, as there is no safe means of adjusting lane position after the junction.
(c) Absence of "BUS LANE" road markings on the carriageway. In your rejection of my informal representation dated 29/01/2026, you stated there is "no requirement to include the BUS LANE legend on the carriageway" and that "bus stop marking takes priority." However, the Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 3, paragraph 15.14 refers to the BUS LANE marking to diagram 1048 as a standard feature of bus lane signing schemes. The absence of this marking, in combination with the obscured advance sign and the misleading lane layout, creates a situation where a reasonable and attentive driver would not be aware they were entering a bus lane. The cumulative effect of these deficiencies is what matters, not whether each individual element is strictly mandatory in isolation.
(d) Your rejection of photographic evidence is unreasonable. In your rejection letter, you dismissed my photographic evidence on the grounds that the images "are not a reflection of a driver's positions" and that Google Maps images "are not representative and are not contemporaneous." This is unreasonable. My photographs demonstrate the actual visibility conditions a driver encounters on approach. If TfL's position is that my evidence is not representative, then TfL bears the burden of providing contemporaneous photographic evidence from the driver's perspective showing that the signage was adequate and clearly visible at the material time. The embedded photographs on the PCN itself show no relevant signage either passed or in situ.
(e) Adjudicator precedent supports appeals on these grounds. Adjudicators have consistently held that where signage is obscured, misaligned, or where road markings are inadequate, the contravention cannot be said to have occurred. The duty is on TfL to ensure signage is not merely present but clearly visible and not misleading in the context of the road layout as a whole.

Request for the video evidence
I ask for a copy of the full video footage of the alleged contravention as soon as possible. I am entitled to see this evidence to verify whether it shows any relevant signage visible to a driver at the material time, and to confirm the circumstances in which my vehicle entered the bus lane.

Camera authorisation
I put you to strict proof that the camera used to capture the alleged contravention has the correct certification under the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022 and Part II and Paragraph 7(2) of Schedule 1 to the London Local Authorities Act 1996. Please provide the certification number and confirm that the device was operating within the conditions of its certification at the material time. If this is not forthcoming, this will be a further ground of appeal.

Christmas Day — proportionality
The alleged contravention occurred on 25 December 2025 at 11:51. This was Christmas Day, when traffic volumes and bus services are at a minimal level. The bus lane restrictions at this location operate Mon–Sun at any time. While I accept that the restriction's legal validity is not dependent on the day, I ask TfL to exercise its discretion and consider the proportionality of enforcement on a day when the restriction serves little or no practical purpose, particularly in circumstances where the signage is inadequate.

In light of the above, please cancel the PCN.
Alex Dumitru