Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi all,

Posting on behalf of a friend. Vehicle was parked in restricted zone (residents permits only). However, all signs were painted out leaving only the blue 'P' for 'parking' so the driver thought it was fine to park. There was a sign at the entrance of the road but this was obscured behind a tree (see attached screenshot from Google Streetview).

In my view the PCN isn't enforceable since the signage wasn't correct. Streetview shows that the signs have been painted out since at least July 2024 so the council have had plenty of time to repair/replace them.

Also it seems that the warden didn't observe the vehicle for more than 6 mins. Is that relevant?

Would love to know what you chaps think – any feedback will be gratefully received!!

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Great observation! Thanks for that… I’ll work it into an appeal and post if up shortly…

Here's my appeal - any feedback would be very welcome!


I wish to appeal the above PCN, on the grounds that the driver was unaware of restrictions in place when they parked, due to insufficient signage.

Firstly, there were ‘repeater signs’ along the length of the street but all of these had been painted out so they were entirely blank apart from the blue ‘P’ sign, which is universally recognised as a symbol for parking. Thus, when the driver exited the vehicle and looked around for parking information, they saw one of these signs nearby and reasonably assumed that parking was permitted with no restrictions. There were no times or other restrictions visible on the signs. The vehicle was parked close to the entrance to the permit parking area but there was no sign signalling the end of the area (since this is a cul-de-sac) and so there was no other signage visible to the driver when they exited the vehicle and looked around.

Secondly, the sign signalling entrance to the permit parking area was obscured by a tree (planted since March 2022) and the second entrance sign, which would have been more clearly seen, has been removed for some time. The attached Google Street View screenshots clearly show that the sign is not visible to drivers as they enter the road or indeed once they have driven some way into it. The sign is only visible once a vehicle is level with the tree itself and the likelihood of the driver actually seeing it might be greatly lessened by road conditions at the time – for instance passing a high-sided vehicle, or when observing potential hazards such as children playing in the cul-de-sac.

As can be seen from the attached Street View screenshots, in March 2022 there were two entrance signs, one on each side of the road; there was no tree obscuring view of the right-hand sign; the repeater signs along the length of the street had not been altered. By July 2024, however, the left-hand entrance sign had been removed; a tree had been planted (presumably by the council) very close to the remaining entrance sign; and the repeater signs had all been painted over leaving no information apart from the blue ‘P’ logo which indicates permitted parking.

In the ten months since then there has been ample time for the council to repair or replace the repeater signs and to trim or remove the newly-planted tree which obscures the only remaining entrance sign. They have not done so. Taken together, the issues with the visibility of the signage in Farrars Avenue are such that the driver was unaware of the restrictions in place. Therefore, I respectfully request that on this occasion the PCN please be cancelled.

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Some thoughts.

Thank you so much H C!

I've incorporated your suggestions as follows:

I wish to appeal the above PCN, on the grounds that the driver was unaware of any restrictions in place when they parked, due to insufficient signage.

When the driver exited the vehicle they looked around for any markings which would indicate whether parking was restricted. There was a clearly-visible sign marking the entrance to the 'Ticket and Meter Zone’ at the entrance to Farrars Avenue, and into Station Road and beyond: this very obviously did not apply to the portion of Farrars Avenue in which the vehicle was parked. Nearer to where the vehicle was parked the driver noticed a smaller sign which was entirely blank apart from a single blue ‘P’ sign (a universally-recognised symbol for parking). Above this, on the same post, was a further sign forbidding heavy vehicles from parking in the area outside of the hours 8am–6.30pm. Apart from this, which clearly did not apply to the vehicle in question, there was no indication of parking restrictions in force in the street.

On returning to the vehicle and finding the PCN, the driver explored the area and discovered a sign indicating the start of a Permit Parking Area. The driver had not seen this before as it is obscured by a tree from the driver’s vantage point when entering the road, as the attached Google Street View screenshots demonstrate. The driver also examined the signs near the car and found that text informing drivers of restrictions in place had been painted over with opaque white paint, leaving only the ‘P’ symbol visible.

Subsequent research has shown that restrictions have been in place in Farrers Avenue for some years and whereas these were previously signalled by two prominent signs on either side of the carriageway (as recently as 2022), the council has let this deteriorate to only one sign on the offside footway which is now obscured (at least at this time of the year) by a leafy crown. Furthermore, the 'repeater signs’ along the street have all been painted over since at least March 2022, leaving ample time for repair or replacement.

With respect, the PCN should be cancelled and the signage improved, at least to the standards deemed necessary in 2022.


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(Note that the car was parked very near to the repeater sign which had been painted out, not on the other side of the road to it – see attached image which I forgot to include before)

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