Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: djmissmills on January 15, 2026, 09:43:26 pm
-
Yet more grotesquely high signs that we are now seeing rather too often. It must be part of a cunning plan to make sure motorists miss them, to get the PCN money rolling in! The only people who can see these properly are on the top deck of a double-decker bus ! If you look they are at bedroom height. Absolutely ridiculous, plus of course if you miss the advance sign, are virtually invisible to a driver in a normal car, I would think. However, the bottom line is that the council will never give way and you'd have to test the matter at London Tribunals. If you're going to take them all the way, you'll need to make sure to measure the height and also how visible the signs are as one turns left. Against your case is the advance sign, which seems reasonably clear.
We need somebody to post on here who is up-to-speed on The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. There may be something in there that defines heights of signs or at least makes recommendations.
-
Hey all, I’d really appreciate some advice on a PCN issued by Lewisham Council for entering a school/pedestrian street. The signage is very poor and I genuinely had no idea I’d entered it, so I went back to check the route and noted the points below.
In your experience, is it worth challenging on these grounds?
1. Lack of advance warning / unclear “School Street” sign
I entered Ennersdale Road at the Hither Green Lane end and drove down towards Pascoe Road. Ennersdale Road is about 0.2 miles long, and there are no advance warning signs until a few metres before Pascoe Road. There is one sign by a railway bridge, mounted on a post that also has a controlled parking sign. It says “School Street” with an arrow pointing left. Aside from not being obvious, it’s also unclear which street the arrow refers to, because there are two left turns beyond that sign, and one of them is a no left turn. Someone could assume the arrow refers to that. Also, I wasn’t aware what “School Street” meant in practical terms, and my sat nav was directing me to turn left into Pascoe Road.
2. “Pedestrian & Cycle Zone” signs are not easily visible until too late
As you enter Pascoe Road, there are two “Pedestrian & Cycle Zone” signs on either side of the road, positioned roughly 2.5–3 metres high. From the driving position, it’s not reasonable to expect a driver to see/read them in time. Even if you did spot them, it would be too late to avoid entering. Both signs show the restriction times, but the sign is split in half and it’s hard to read the times quickly while driving.
3. Council evidence doesn’t show signage
The video/photo evidence provided online does not show any signage.
4. Inset day
The date of the alleged contravention was an inset day (no pupils in attendance).
Points to note
My mum is the registered keeper; I was the driver.
Contravention date: 05/01. Notice date: 12/01. Paper PCN received: 14/01.
Since 05/01 I’ve driven the same route several times at different times of day, so I may receive additional PCNs. Due to the delay in issuing/posting the first PCN, I wasn’t aware of the issue and couldn’t correct my route earlier.
Google Maps shows the current signage.
I’ve uploaded the paper PCN, the online PCN, plus photos of the roads/signage here:
https://imgpile.com/p/MnxeO0a
Google Street View:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/yDe1HPu35wtyPkeP6
Any help would be hugely appreciated — thanks!