Free Traffic Legal Advice

Do not pay anything and simply state that a motorist is entitled to know when and what to pay according to the statutory process in all publications provided by the council.

Just following up in case anyone has had a chance to look at this further.

Any guidance before I move into the formal stage would be hugely appreciated.

Hopefully someone will respond to your question.

If they have failed to consider your representation then that's a legal point that can be challenged in accordance with paragraph 1(7) under Schedule 1 of the relevant legislation. Now if you cited all the PCNs in that single representation, then that argument may apply to all the PCNs you cited.

If you submit a representation, make sure the PCN portal cites the correct date for submission, once I submitted a representation on Lambeth’s PCN portal, it cited the correct date, then a few days later it changed the date, it seemed to change the date when I sent a question to Lambeth Parking services. I used this error as another legal point to challenge. Also, calculate the last day for the PCN discount and take a screenshot of portal on that date, then take a screenshot the day after incase there are errors.

With regards to the LA exercising discretion, under Section 87 of the Traffic Management Act, they should give regard to the guidance from the secretary of state, this official guidance explicitly mandates that authorities must not fetter their discretion. Gov.uk states on 28 May 2026: “They should approach the exercise of discretion objectively and without regard to any financial interest in the penalty or decisions that may have been taken at an earlier stage in proceedings.”

However, I think the failure to consider argument and screenshot errors on the PCN portal (if any occur) may be a valuable strategy of appeal. I had a recent win against Lambeth, they did not contest at tribunal, just on the basis of a PCN portal screenshot error and telephone recordings where they misinformed the appellant of the enforcement process. Though I am unsure if they operate customer service by telephone or email in recent times.

@Incandescent, please correct me if I am mistaken but for moving traffic pcns would a “repeated contravention” be considered if service of the first PCN comes after the other contraventions occurred or is it strictly limited to parking pcns? In terms of a “continuous contravention” could that apply if a driver passed through multiple traffic restrictions in an area in a window of time on the same date. As I recall seeing cases like that on the previous forum (though it does not apply here).

Exactly, That is essentially the basis on which I intend to continue the formal representations for the remaining PCNs.

however if i lose my formal appeal ill be looking at 2x the fine amounts of which i have already shown evidence to the council i cannot afford to pay, evidence of which they have ignored completely.

@ryan93

Thank you, that is really helpful.

The “failure to consider” point is something I had not properly considered before, especially as the rejection responses seem almost entirely focused on signage and do not appear to engage with the actual timeline/proportionality arguments I raised regarding all subsequent PCNs occurring before service of the first notice.

I also appreciate the advice regarding screenshots and portal dates. I will make sure to document everything carefully from this point onwards, including submission dates, portal status and discount deadlines in case any inconsistencies arise.

The discretion point is also interesting, particularly given that I provided evidence of financial hardship and immediate behavioural change once notified, yet the responses do not appear to address that context at all.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain this.

Take a look at the signage:

another member has pointed out that by the time the sign becomes fully readable, the manoeuvre to turn on the road has already begun. add to that, most people will be focused on pedestrians and oncoming cars when turning. (in my pcn you can literally see pedestrians crossing right where this picture is taken)

“While signage may technically comply, the nature and positioning of the restriction meant the issue was not immediately obvious to a driver unfamiliar with the area turning into the road. This contextualises why repeated contraventions occurred before the first PCN was served.”

this could potentially support my appeal, curious to know what you guys think.

ive just sent it over to you via Email