So I adjusted the wording and appealed and the appeal has been rejected.
I had to edit the appeal slightly before submitting as it would only allow 4 photos to be attached but the appeal said pretty much this:
I was extremely surprised and frustrated to find a parking ticket had been put on my car as it appeared I had parked on an unrestricted street and I am always very conscious to park in a legal and considerate manner.
Upon finding the ticket, I took photos of the car as parked and walked along the street re-checking for signs to indicate that there was any sort of restriction in place. As I had noticed when I first parked, there were some sections of the road marked with parking restriction signs, but these were a distance away from the section of road I was parked on and had single yellow lines. There were also sections of the road with double yellow lines, however I was parked on a completely unmarked section of the road with no signs.
At this point I went home and was confident that there had been a mistake because even after looking around, there was nothing to suggest restrictions in place where I had parked.
Upon returning home and on further investigation I have found out that the street is in a large permit parking area, with signs at entries to this large area (albeit not on the section of road that I had parked on). I had not found these signs even when walking around the area to look for signs after receiving a ticket due to their distance from my parking location and seeming irrelevance to the section of road I was actually parked on.
After identifying this restriction online, I returned to the area again retracing my steps and contend that the contravention did not occur owing to the entry signage on my approach being inadequate. There are no signposts on either end of this section of the road from the mini roundabout down to the other end where the road meets Nelson road to suggest that there are restrictions which apply to this section of street. The signage at the entrance to Wellington Road from the High Street was not readily visible at the time of the alleged contravention. The sign on the left-hand side of the carriageway has been turned through approximately 90 degrees, rendering it effectively invisible to drivers entering the road from this direction.
Having missed the obscured entry sign due to its condition and identifying no signs or markings that indicated any parking restrictions related to the unmarked section of road after passing the mini roundabout, I reasonably concluded that this area was unrestricted. I took care to observe the visible parking restrictions on the road, noting areas marked with double yellow lines and single yellow lines with accompanying signage. I deliberately parked in a section with no road markings and no visible signage indicating any restriction. In the absence of road markings or visible signage, it was reasonable to conclude that this section of the street was unrestricted.
Upon researching further, I have identified that the permit parking area in question does not conform to the Department for Transport's Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3, which provides guidance on the appropriate use of permit parking areas designated by entry signs alone (without bay markings). Paragraph 13.10.2 of the guidance states that this type of signing is suitable for "a cul-de-sac or a small network of roads with little or no through traffic" and warns that "otherwise the lack of road markings might tempt drivers unfamiliar with the area to park." Wellington Road is a through road with a mini roundabout, not a cul-de-sac or small enclosed network. The current arrangement covers a large zone of multiple roads with unclear boundaries.
It is extremely difficult for drivers to identify that there is a restriction at all unless you notice the signs at the boundaries of this large section and then map out the boundaries of the restriction area. Even had the entry signage been visible, the application of this signing method to such a large and complex area is inconsistent with the official guidance, which anticipates its use only where drivers can reasonably be expected to understand the extent of the restricted area.
As explained, there are clearly several issues with this charge and I request that this is promptly cancelled to avoid causing any further unfair and unwarranted disruption for something that was the result of poor and inadequate signage.
I attach the following photographic and pictorial evidence:
1. Photograph showing vehicle parked outside the single yellow line restricted area
2. Photograph showing vehicle parked outside the double yellow line area
3. Photograph showing distance between vehicle and the single yellow line restriction (Not included in the end)
4. Photograph of entry sign at Wellington Road/High Street junction, showing sign rotated 90 degrees
5. Map of the permit parking zone (merged with photo 6 to keep within 4 photo limit for redbridge site)
6. Department for Transport Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3 extract (Section 13.10 – Permit Parking Areas)
Here is the response:
I assume I'm now waiting for a Notice to Owner?
