I received a PCN at work (I wasn't driving) from Enfield Council for a contravention 33g, using a route restricted to certain vehicles (local buses only) on Firs Lane.
I had one earlier in the year that they rejected, and they rejected my appeals for this one too. The vehicle is a HGV that has ended up on Firs Lane without going past any prohibition signage or advance warning of a prohibition signage until after the last possible alternative route, past the point of no return. Meaning, by the time you get to the blue rectangle sign with a 7 foot width restriction 450 yards ahead, it's too late to take an alternative route.
Continuing down the road, presumably 450 yards ahead, there is a bus gate in the middle of the road, with a narrowed lane either side of it for traffic in either direction. The bus gate has the appropriate signage at the gate with a diagram 953 variant that says "Local", with "BUS GATE" painted on the road. There is also a diagram 629A for the 7 foot width restriction, and is narrowed with a curb and bollards.
The last available junction has been narrowed by a pavement build-out and bus stop (which appears to have been whiped out, I would guess by some other HGV) and
parked cars opposite, preventing larger vehicles from turning. The effect of this is that the drivers of larger
vehicles are effectively compelled into continuing down the road to the bus gate, regardless of intention, with no fair opportunity to avoid the
restriction.
The options are, to smash through the bollards of the width restriction, probably getting a PCN from the same camera and getting an invoice for damages, or go through the bus gate and get a PCN. Or reverse back to the last junction in an articulated lorry and pray you don't hit a car or whipe out a bus stop and double pray that you can make the turn into the junction once you get there. All options suck and could have been prevented by advance signage.
Enfield have rejected my appeal, again, with an almost identical response as last time. They suggest going through the narrowed road to the left of the bus gate to avoid the contravention and clearly have not even read my appeal nevermind watched the dashcam footage I provided. They also note in the NoR that I am the driver. I was not the driver and never claimed to be, I was about 300 miles away at the time lol.
I will attach the PCN, my appeal, and their Notice of Rejection in the comments/replies. I'm trying to figure out if I have a chance of winning a London Tribunal appeal and if I do, what I should say.
Many thanks in advance
