Council: London Borough of Redbridge
Alleged contravention: parked in a permit space or zone without clearly displaying a valid permit
Location: Northumberland avenue, Aldersbrook (near junction with Ingatestone Road, next to playground of Aldersbrook primary school)
Google maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qNm4kTQzDNqkdj9h6 On 27/10/23 I parked on a road I mistakenly thought allowed parking for 3 hours without a permit. I avoided the double yellow lines and the only sign I could see stated 3 hours was permitted (I have since learnt that signs on the opposite side do not apply, so I should have ignored this sign). I received a PCN notice and then realised there was a sign but, from my parking spot, this was invisible due to a large overhanging tree. I contested the PCN but this was rejected and I have now received a “notice to owner”. I need to decide whether to pay the £130 or contest it on the grounds that the sign was obscured. There were additional signs further down the road but I would have needed to walk a long way to see them.
I will paste my original contest statement below (please ignore spelling errors!). Since submitting this I have realised that signs on the opposite side of the road do not apply.
Does anyone have any advice please on whether I should submit a representation or just pay the fine? And if I do submit a representation, what should I emphasise? Any help would be very gratefully received
The council have submitted a photo of the sign clearly visible from the other side of the tree but I have a photo of the signpost from my parking space which shows the tree completely obscuring the sign. Any advice would be much appreciated. I do not want to pay £130 unnecessarily but equally do not want to risk having to pay more than this.
“I parked on Northumberland Avenue to visit the children's centre on Ingatestone Road. I checked all visible signage and avoided parking on Ingatestone Road (which allows 30mins only) and the double yellow lines on Northumberland Avenue. The only remainable viable sineage was on Northumberland avenue (opposite where I parked) and this stated I could stay for 3 hours. I looked up and down the road on both sides for some distance and saw no further sineage and so, in the absence of double yellows and any sineage stating otherwise, was led to believe I could park for 3 hours, as per the only visible sign.
Upon discovering the fine, I walked approx 50m along the road and saw that there was a sign stating that my side of the road was for residents only. This sign was heavily concealed by a large overgrown tree and would only be visible via walking into the road or doing a 50m walk. I was alone with my preschooler and my toddler who has developmental delays, leaving her unable to walk. Hence it would be unreasonable, unfeasible and unsafe for us to have walked the distance required to realise that, behind a large overgrown tree, there was another sign contradicting the sineage that was available to us (i.e. double yellow lines which I ensured didn't apply where I parked and only one visible sign, stating we could reasonably stay 3 hours).
If we had been unduly disregarding parking regulations we would have parked on Ingatestone Road outside the children's centre but we instead checked multiple sources of information to park where, based on available signage, we believed we were permitted to park.
I fully support parking restrictions and enforcement and work hard to ensure that I adhere to them at all times, as well as regularly explaining to my children how important it is to follow these rules. I am disappointed that poor maintenance of a privately owned tree has left me unable to see any restrictive signage, despite extensive effort to ensure rule adherence on my part. I certainly will not park in that location again, having realised that there is an intention to restrict it but I would like to politely request the PCN is cancelled on this occasion and that the tree owner is supported to recognise their responsibility to ensure signage is visible to road users. I have attached photographic evidence showing the double yellow lines I avoided, the only visible sineage saying I could park for 3 hours and the tree which completely impedes the only sineage showing the location was restricted to residents only.”
Council photo showing sign (the tree that obscured my view is visible on the right):
My photo of tree obscuring sign (car shown was parked between my car and the sign):
My photo depicting where my car was parked:
