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Here's my appeal - any feedback would be very welcome!


I wish to appeal the above PCN, on the grounds that the driver was unaware of restrictions in place when they parked, due to insufficient signage.

Firstly, there were ‘repeater signs’ along the length of the street but all of these had been painted out so they were entirely blank apart from the blue ‘P’ sign, which is universally recognised as a symbol for parking. Thus, when the driver exited the vehicle and looked around for parking information, they saw one of these signs nearby and reasonably assumed that parking was permitted with no restrictions. There were no times or other restrictions visible on the signs. The vehicle was parked close to the entrance to the permit parking area but there was no sign signalling the end of the area (since this is a cul-de-sac) and so there was no other signage visible to the driver when they exited the vehicle and looked around.

Secondly, the sign signalling entrance to the permit parking area was obscured by a tree (planted since March 2022) and the second entrance sign, which would have been more clearly seen, has been removed for some time. The attached Google Street View screenshots clearly show that the sign is not visible to drivers as they enter the road or indeed once they have driven some way into it. The sign is only visible once a vehicle is level with the tree itself and the likelihood of the driver actually seeing it might be greatly lessened by road conditions at the time – for instance passing a high-sided vehicle, or when observing potential hazards such as children playing in the cul-de-sac.

As can be seen from the attached Street View screenshots, in March 2022 there were two entrance signs, one on each side of the road; there was no tree obscuring view of the right-hand sign; the repeater signs along the length of the street had not been altered. By July 2024, however, the left-hand entrance sign had been removed; a tree had been planted (presumably by the council) very close to the remaining entrance sign; and the repeater signs had all been painted over leaving no information apart from the blue ‘P’ logo which indicates permitted parking.

In the ten months since then there has been ample time for the council to repair or replace the repeater signs and to trim or remove the newly-planted tree which obscures the only remaining entrance sign. They have not done so. Taken together, the issues with the visibility of the signage in Farrars Avenue are such that the driver was unaware of the restrictions in place. Therefore, I respectfully request that on this occasion the PCN please be cancelled.

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Great observation! Thanks for that… I’ll work it into an appeal and post if up shortly…

Thank you – I really appreciate the feedback. I'll let her know!

I believe she hasn't made any representations at all. She lives in a property Guardianship and apparently the NtO didn't arrive until after it was too late. Presumably she's out of options?

Hello all,

I'm posting this on behalf of a friend (really).

She tried paying the fine (on the day she received the PCN) but although the REG and PCN# both matched, the council website wouldn't allow her to proceed with the payment – see screenshot below. It will now allow her to pay, but the amount has increased to £75. Is there anything she can do?

Hello all,

I'm extremely careful about emissions charges etc. but annoyingly have still been caught out by TFL's sneaky charging system.

My trip to London lasted for less than 24 hours. I paid the charge online, did not realise that a second charge would be due if staying after midnight and so have received a PCN (attached) with what seems to me a wildly disproportionate fine of £180 (reduced to £90 if paid quickly). This seems very unfair to me.

Two questions:

1) Do I have any chance of getting out of this?
2) Is it necessary to refer only to 'the driver' in this case or is that only for private fines?

My draft appeal text is as follows:

Dear Sir / Madam,

I drove to London from Stroud in Gloucestershire on 16 March 2024. Since I was entering the ULEZ charging area, I made sure to pay the charge on my arrival.  My receipt number is XXXXXXXXXX

Nonetheless, I have received a PCN from you since my trip lasted until after midnight on the day in question, and thus spanned two charging days. Since I am not from London I was unaware of the midnight-to-midnight charging scheme and naturally assumed that only a single payment was necessary for a trip lasting less than 24 hours. It was not my intention to avoid the second charge (for 17 March 2024) and I only neglected to pay it due to inadequate information provided by TFL.

I paid the charge for 16 March after accessing the following page, via a Google search for the terms ‘pay ULEZ charge’:

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/pay-to-drive-in-london

Nowhere on the page does it mention that a second charge would apply to a driver who entered the zone for less than 24 hours, but spanning two 24-hour charging periods. Since this is counter-intuitive (a motorist would naturally assume that only a single charge applied to a trip lasting less than 24 hours) the lack of clear information is significant. When I clicked on the ‘PAY’ button and followed the instructions, the online payment process likewise did not inform me that I would have to make two payments if my trip lasted beyond midnight.

Regulation 18 (1)(a) of the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 makes clear that where an order (such as the ULEZ scheme) has been made, any signs should secure ‘that adequate information as to the effect of the order is made available to persons using the road’. None of the signs informing drivers of the ULEZ charge (which can be viewed on your website here: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/ulez-road-signs) make any mention of midnight-to-midnight charging, or give any indication that a driver would need to pay two charges if they remained in the zone after midnight.

In the circumstances, and noting once again that it was not my intention to avoid the second charge, I would be very grateful if you would agree to cancel the PCN on this occasion. I am of course happy to make a payment of £12.50 to cover the actual charge for 17 March 2024, of which I was not aware until I received the PCN this morning.

Kind regards etc.

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I'd be very grateful for any advice you can give. Many thanks in advance!

Sadly, despite your kind advice, I did not have time to get off my appeal. Now I've received a charge certificate (see attached). I've resigned myself to paying the fine but I REALLY don't want to give these thieves any more of my money. Is there any way you chaps know of by which I can avoid this? Any help would be gratefully accepted and will be acted upon immediately!
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