Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi guys,

I received a PCN from the lovely Southwark Council for going through a bus gate at a restricted time.
I am well aware of the restriction as I drive to/from Dulwich every day but unfortunately my wife (who is also well aware of the restriction) was driving that day and she just said she just forgot.

Having read some other threads, the date the PCN amount increases according to the website does seem inconsistent with the letter:
Date of PCN - 21 May 2025
Date the amount increases from £80 to £160 per the website: 16 Jun 2025
This means they are giving a larger discount period than the 14 days stated on the letter, but is this still grounds for appeal?

Also since when did PCNs become £80/£160??

https://imgur.com/a/q1C1qPI

Well predictably the council rejected my appeal, I used a template from a previous thread on here regarding the date of the discount period being inconsistent.

Is it worth taking this further to the tribunals?

Thanks, any help would be much appreciated!

Please screenshot the payment status page and report back.

Not sure where to go to see that, but it's still in the discount stage and unpaid for as of now.

OK didn't realise attachments didn't work. Link below:
https://imgur.com/a/mieNqvg

So just to clarify - at the time of me entering the CAZ, the car would have been showing as non-compliant on the CAZ website checker.
I did not know there was such a website and I assumed that as my car was ULEZ compliant, it would also have been CAZ compliant.

The "miracle" which had happened was me obtaining the relevant documents proving my car was compliant and getting the CAZ admin team (who were very helpful btw) to update their database.
Birmingham council then checked the latest database and dropped the charges. I doubt they have the tech know how to get a backdated version of the CAZ database 

So to update and close out this thread: Birmingham city council rejected my representations (no surprise really) so I appealed to the traffic penalty tribunal and they cleared all my PCNs, hooray!

For anyone in a similar predicament, the process was:
- Obtain a certificate of conformity from the manufacturer (took 4 weeks)
- Send in a copy of the CoC along with the V5C to the DVLA so they could update the emissions details (took 4 weeks)
- Fill in a form on the CAZ website and upload a scan of the V5C (updated instantly!)

Thanks for everyone's help and input, there were actually 4 PCNs in the end which would have added up to a painful amount!
And lesson learned - never assume government databases are consistent with each other. Just because a car is ULEZ compliant does not mean it's CAZ compliant and vice versa.

Hello friends,

I have received a PCN from the lovely Birmingham City Council for entering their CAZ and not paying. I am well aware that there is a CAZ in place and I did enter it on the day in question, however I was under the assumption that my car is Euro 4 petrol compliant and therefore not liable for the charge.

I live in London and the car is ULEZ compliant and I drive around happily with no issues. However when I check the gov.uk CAZ website (new one to me), it says I have to pay the charge. If I look on my V5 there is only a CO figure but no HC or NOx values which I'm guessing is where the issue lies.

How come the ULEZ and CAZ checkers produce different results when the standards are the same? And what's the best way to prove that my car is compliant?

Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

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