Westminster parking ticket - 12 Parked in resident bay

I parked outside 57-58 Long Acre in Covent Garden last Friday night. I saw the sign for loading only up to 6:30pm, so I parked there. However, I got a ticket for being in a resident's bay. I was a car length or 2 away from the loading sign. There was a sign for the resident's bay, but it was a good 4 car lengths further down. There was nothing to show where the loading bay finished and the resident's bay started. I took a video when I came back to my car after I finished my work.

I just checked on street view the exact location where I was parked. In the street view, there is a sign there to show where the resident's bay starts, I was right where the silver Mercedes is parked, however, you can see in my video that this sign is no longer there. You can see on the pavement where the hole has been filled in where the sign had been.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Sun+Tavern/@51.5142148,-0.122596,3a,75y,107.69h,81.86t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sO_w6_nvcw928M6p62HYfyw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D8.143871903238988%26panoid%3DO_w6_nvcw928M6p62HYfyw%26yaw%3D107.6938036872151!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x487604cb5b726f3b:0x2933d568d66d7b62!8m2!3d51.5140074!4d-0.1226597!16s%2Fg%2F1tfjkl_d?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDcxOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

So is it worth contesting? It goes up to £160 if I don'tpay it by next friday.

This is the video I took.
https://cinema8.com/video/9X6wY0xJ?c=js-api&autoplay=1&prev=1

There was nothing to show where the loading bay finished and the resident's bay started.

Except that there is: -
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vb6xeL9DXm4UXDGY6

This is yet another example of poor signing for adjacent bay with different restrictions. Each bay has its own sign, and there is a bay boundary marking of two dashed lines perpendicular to the kerb.
Best practice for signing such situations is for the two signs to be mounted side-by-side on a single pole at the bay boundary, with arrows on each sign to indicate applicability.

Although GSV shows the bay boundary, it may now be in worse condition or even totally worn off. Are you aware of these bay boundary markings ? If so, then how did you miss them ?

Honestly, I didn't look for any dotted lines, but I can see some in the video now.
The sign that is in the street view at the start of the resident's bay is no longer there. You can see in the video I took, it has been removed and the pavement patched up where it had been, just to the left at the front of my car. Had it still been there, of course I would have looked for somewhere else. I only noticed that this morning when I went to check the street view to make this post.

I was parked much closer to the loading bay sign than I was to the resident's bay sign which was a fair bit further down by the pub.
Im not arguing that I wasn't badly parked. I just genuinely didnt realise and the removal of that signage has obviously caught me out.

Pl post the PCN leaving in all info so that we can access the CEO's photos online.

Thanks, these are all the photos on their portal.

We need to see the PCN itself pl.

Oh sorry, here it is. Cheers

Thanks. I'm still trying to gather facts here so pl post the back of the PCN. You have, as requested, posted the front of the PCN - on which you have left your VRM which is useful - so pl don't blank out on any other posts, it's not necessary.

Some thoughts.

On the day in question, I parked as can be seen in the council's photos. At the time I parked I had just driven past a road marking LOADING ONLY and noticed the traffic sign which I looked at in detail once I'd stopped. As I was stationary outside the restricted loading hours, I left my car without any concern.

On receipt of the PCN, I couldn't understand the reason why it had been issued, there was a loading sign just to my rear and a resident's parking sign some way ahead. On viewing the council's photos, I am still none the wiser. These three photos comprise 2 close-ups and one head-on. Nowhere is there a photo of any traffic sign which suggests the CEO did not attach any weight to these signs and for all I know had another contravention in mind and simply pressed the wrong button. If the CEO did not see fit to photograph any traffic signs, or road markings for that matter, then clearly a mistake has been made because nothing in the evidence supports the alleged contravention grounds in the PCN which IMO must therefore be cancelled.


If they reject, then formal reps would give you the opportunity to attack whatever argument they use.

Much appreciated, thank you. Here is the back of it.
So if they were to reject the appeal, would it land me at the full £160, or would it reset it to the current £80?
**EDIT Ah it states on the back it stays at £80, great!

I'm guessing they will come back with a street view showing that there was a sign right next to where I was parked. But my video shows that it is no longer there. The CEO would have certainly put that in his photos of it was, I'd have been right under it!

On the challenge, whish is the best option to choose (except options 2-5 o'course). Or does it even matter?

• The contravention did not occur
• I was not the owner of the vehicle at the time the contravention occurred
• We are a hire firm and will provide details of the hirer
• The PCN exceeded the amount applicable
• The PCN has been paid
• The Traffic Management Order is invalid
• The CEO was not prevented from serving the PCN
• There has been a procedural impropriety on the part of the enforcement authority
• I wish to challenge this PCN for other reasons

OP, you are submitting representations, and seem very keen to retain the discount. You need to be aware that >95% of all representations are automatically rejected by councils because they know that by rejecting them, most people then just cough-up to get the discount. If you want to win this, you have to forego the discount option and take them all the way to adjudication if necessary. Otherwise it is pointless submitting anything.

Thanks, well I guess let's see what they come back with first. I guess even with 95%+ chance of automatic rejection, appealing with up tpo 5% chance of acceptance is still a better bet than just paying it, so I have nothing to lose at this stage.
I have stood in court as a McKenzie friend opposite a barrister and 2 juniors and beaten them & won costs. That case went on for over 2 years. I'm not daunted at all by this.
Their case was an absolute shambles though, I'm not suggesting I could be a lawyer 

I just selected "Other reason" and pasted the argument that you have suggested, thanks.
There is an option to drop any supporting files, so shall I drop in my video? It totally supports what I am saying. If they were to use street view to show there should be a sign there, my video clearly shows that there was not.
Edit: The file is too big anyway, so it won't upload.

I didn't tick the "I consent to being contacted by email by Westminster council etc.."
Just by default, I assume its for spam. The page took ages to submit the challenge form and came back with a huge message saying UNABLE TO SEND EMAIL CONFIRMATION, but it also stated that they have received my challenge and someone will respond. So will they write to me now with their response?

I thought perhaps I might have shot myself in the foot not allowing them to email me, but maybe that's better if it means they'll have to do it by post?