Free Traffic Legal Advice

Husband parked in the Disabled Parking bay in St Mary Butts in Reading. There was a notice on the lamp post where we parked. On reading the first part it stated that parking was suspended NO Loading. So we assumed that it meant that the loading was suspended as there was scaffolding on the adjacent building.

There was a parking cone on the pavement when we pulled in. There was nothing to suggest otherwise that there was no parking allowed.

Walking back past the car we noticed that there was a parking ticket on the windscreen and 2 ladies that were sitting near the car on a bench, said that the parking warden moved the cone to infront of our vehicle and then proceeded to give us a ticket.

As my husband had to reverse into the space if there had been a cone there in the first place he would have knocked it over or driven over it.





I think this is all correct if not I will try and sort

No loading means no parking, not even with a blue badge. It's unfortunate you misunderstood the signs but that obviously is no defence.

However nobody can say anyone is banged-to-rights about anything until we see the traffic regulation order: This is a red route bay, and TFL's red route orders only create stopping restrictions, the bays simply indicate exceptions to that restriction.

Ergo there are no designated parking places on a TFL red route. If Reading's red routes follow the same model (which is a distinct possibility), then a code 21 contravention cannot ever occur because to commit contravention 21 you must be parked in a designated parking place. If the place in question is not a designated parking place, the contravention cannot occur, no matter what the signage is. I have requested the traffic order from the council so we should soon find out.

And additional point is that the bays are not compliant, as you can't have a single yellow line running through a red route bay.

Are you the registered keeper and do you have the V5C?