Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi all.

I got a PCN for going past a 'No Motor Vehicles' sign.  Genuinely never saw the sign, but it's there...

There is just one sign on the left.  There is a warning sign mounted to a lamppost further up the road, which is on the right hand sign of the road.  There is no other relevant signage I could find or diversion routes, although the only way to avoid it is to turn around or turn right into Longhurst Road (the road on the left is a Cul de Sac)

I can see the images the council has supplied, but the video would not load, so I haven't been able to view it.

The rear of the PCN (page 2) has a strangely worded sentence that I'm unclear about "If you fail to pay the Penalty Charge Notice or make representations before the end of 28 days beginning with the date this notice was served an increase charge of  notice an increased charge of £195.00  may be payable".

It looks like they have tried to correct something but ended up repeating themselves.


PCN Page 1:




PCN Page 2:




View 1:




View 2:




View 3:




View 4:




Warning Sign:




Rear View (double signs):




If there is anything else I can provide, please let me know and many thanks for your time!

Thank you for the reply.  Greatly appreciated.

I'm more than happy to try my best not to give them any money, because otherwise they're simply going to continue enforcing a restriction which I think is unfair and ineffective at preventing the traffic it is supposed to deter.

I also have another one from Christmas eve, at the same section, in the dark.

Unfortunately, the notice for that arrived 3 days after going through it again.  I made representations asking for leniency, as we haven't had any warnings or pcns before, but I suspect the reply that's on the way for that one is a rejection.

Is there a chance that the wording I mentioned and the lack of a postal address for payment (I was reading something about that) may make it invalid too?

Thank you.

Just one more question.  Does the owner have to attend the appeal to the Environment and Traffic Adjudicators, or can a representative make the case (ie me, the driver of my wife's car)?

Because, if it's her, I'm guessing she'd rather just pay the fine.  Whereas I have more time and fight

Thank you for the input.

At 50/50, I might give it a miss.  Can't really afford the higher fines and I've already spent about a week looking at endless legislation and adjudications.

This is a fairly new alteration to the site.

There was a width restriction with gate in the middle.

They put planters in the width restrictions at first (during COVID).

Then opened the gate in the middle with a camera.

Recently they changed it again the to raised crossing point.

It's all quite sneaky, as you go around that corner and there is another one.  The road ahead of the bend is one way and the only other turn off has a school street.

Entirely possible to get several fines in quick succession.

Well, some perhaps novel points to be raised re the wording. "Acts as a Notice to Owner".

This is all about signage, evidence and the wording in my view.