Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: Ahmedyali on October 07, 2025, 12:34:26 pm
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Did you end up paying it or in the process of appealing it?
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I’ve just come across a new tribunal decision that seems to match my situation almost exactly.
London Tribunals case reference 2240583131 (Malgorzata Dorota Czernik v London Borough of Newham) — Browning Road (North Side), decided 13 February 2025 — was allowed on the grounds that the signage wasn’t adequately visible to drivers approaching from Rectory Road.
Here’s the full case record on the London Tribunals site:
👉 https://londontribunals.org.uk/ords/pwslive/f?p=14952:70::INITIALISE::70:P70_CAS_REFNO,P70_PCN_REFNO,P70_RETURN_PAGE,P70_AST_CODE:1661501,3061690,60,APPEAL&cs=3-r43pjP3QxkUWcbM-GzgSu4escT-pzdygkjipgH7Q7o-2sO1wkTx2ohjXgdqhisJGbeeAdMtVsFMqbtzw-ujQA#content
The adjudicator (Cordelia Fantinic) accepted that:
> “The restriction signs are positioned on either side of Browning Road but are not visible to a driver approaching from Rectory Road, as they are too close to the junction and angled away from the line of sight.”
She also noted that the warning sign on Rectory Road is on the right-hand side of the carriageway and could easily be missed by a driver turning left from Chesterford Road — which is exactly the same situation I described in my case.
My approach and line of sight are identical to what’s described in that appeal. I’ve attached my own council video (https://streamable.com/9hzo21) and side-angle photo of the signs (https://i.postimg.cc/dVktGtqJ/1-FMA-MYL-10313.webp) which clearly show how the signs are facing oncoming traffic and not visible from my lane.
Would you say this tribunal decision is strong and compelling evidence to rely on in my formal representation? It feels like a mirror of my case, right down to the approach route and the sign angles.
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The test for signage, (apart from legal adherance to The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016), is "adequacy". Signs can all be legal and in accordance with regulations, but still not be adequate. Councils are under a duty in Regulation 18 (1)(a) of the The Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 to place adequate signage advising motorists of a restriction imposed by a Traffic Order.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/2489/regulation/18
The problem with use of the word "adequate", is it is subjective. Your "inadequate" signage will be considered "adequate" by the council, leaving it to an adjudicator to decide one way or the other based on the arguments of both sides
As for previous successful cases, you can search the London Tribunals Statutory Register using the location and a date range as your search.
https://www.londontribunals.gov.uk/about/registers-appeals
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Hi all,
I’ve received a Moving Traffic Penalty Charge Notice from London Borough of Newham for allegedly “Failing to comply with a prohibition on certain types of vehicle (motor vehicles)” — contravention code 52M.
Details:
PCN number: PN77444424
Vehicle Reg: EA12 NHZ
Contravention date/time: 27/09/2025 at 07:50
Location: Browning Road E12 (North Side)
Webcode: 193AT741
Front of PCN:
https://postimg.cc/gallery/k7SZxXq
Council video:
https://streamable.com/9hzo21
Side-angle photo of the signage:
https://i.postimg.cc/dVktGtqJ/1-FMA-MYL-10313.webp
My account of what happened
I was driving along Browning Road (North Side) early in the morning.
The signage for the restriction is facing the oncoming traffic, making it extremely difficult to see from my approach angle. By the time the signs become visible, it’s already too late to turn off safely without stopping abruptly or causing an obstruction.
From my dash-level view (see video), you can see the restricted-vehicle signs are placed side-on, not in a direct line of sight for drivers coming from my direction. The council’s camera angle also exaggerates visibility compared to what a driver actually sees.
The side-view photo above clearly shows how the signs are angled — they face traffic coming from the opposite side, not towards vehicles from my lane.
Supporting reference
There’s an article about this exact location highlighting confusion and poor signage placement:
https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/east-london-street-council-made-27244595
The article confirms that many motorists have been caught out because of how unclear and misleading the restriction signage is.
What I’m hoping for
Please could someone help me check:
1) Whether the signage at this location complies with the legal placement and visibility requirements for a motor vehicle restriction.
2) If there’s a known history of successful appeals for this location (Browning Road E12 North Side).
3) Any previous tribunal cases or template representations I could refer to.
Thanks very much for your time.
Ahmedyali