So hes written up this response - will this be ok to send off?
-------------------
Dear Council,
I am writing to formally challenge the above Penalty Charge Notice. I request that you cancel it on the grounds due to inadequate and misleading signage, and because it was not reasonably possible for a driver to identify or comply with the restriction from my approach.
⸻
1. Background and route taken
On 11/09/25, I exited New Road and turned right onto Green Lane, intending shortly after to turn left into Holmwood Road, as indicated on the attached annotated map.
This route is a common one for local drivers leaving New Road and joining Green Lane. However, the advance warning sign for the “restricted pedestrian zone” on Holmwood Road is positioned facing vehicles already travelling along Green Lane, not those emerging from New Road.
As such, the sign is not visible to drivers turning right from New Road, since attention at that point must be focused on safely merging with the heavy traffic on Green Lane. The sign’s orientation and position make it impossible to see or read before beginning the left turn into Holmwood Road.
⸻
2. Inadequate / misoriented signage
The only visible signs indicating the restriction are on the entrance to Holmwood Road itself, and only become apparent as a driver is in the process of making the left turn.
By that stage, stopping or reversing to avoid entering would create a safety hazard due to following traffic and Green Lane’s busy flow.
According to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) and London Tribunals precedent, signage must provide adequate advance warning that gives a driver a fair opportunity to comply. In this case, no such advance warning was visible to me.
3. Focus on safety and reasonable conduct
Green Lane is a busy main road with constant vehicle and pedestrian traffic. When turning right from New Road, my attention was appropriately directed toward ensuring it was safe to merge and to avoid oncoming traffic.
It would have been unreasonable—and dangerous—to divert attention away from traffic conditions in order to search for signs positioned for a different direction of approach.
My manoeuvre was made cautiously and safely, and any failure to comply was entirely due to the poor placement of signage, not willful disregard of restrictions.
5. Conclusion and request
For the reasons above—particularly the lack of visible advance signage for traffic emerging from New Road and the safety-critical nature of that junction—I therefore request that the Penalty Charge Notice be cancelled.
-----------------------------------------
