Free Traffic Legal Advice

Thanks all.

I did already go ahead and submit the online form and seems the advice is there is not much to fight here. Extremely frustrating as  I remember being very careful driving in the 20 zones that day, but obviously not careful enough!

I took pictures a couple of weeks later (all the signs were still exactly the same - not been replaced - still painted over).

These are the closer pictures of the signs upon entry to the PPA from Ilford Lane -> Jersey Road:

GSV Link: https://tinyurl.com/4e39nnts

What would you put my chances of success on this?

I'm normally up for the fight, on principle alone. However, part of me is considering just paying the reduced rate and move on ...

Thank you very much. Submitted the representation and will update once I receive a reply.

My representation is below (for reference):

Dear Sir or Madam,

All photos referred to are in the attached word document and labelled with a heading.

I wish to challenge the above Penalty Charge Notice.

I am not local to this area and am unfamiliar with the parking restrictions that may apply. I, therefore, have to rely on the signage in place to be informed of any restrictions.

The alleged contravention did not occur because the restriction was not clearly signed in accordance with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD).

The route I took into Paget Road was from Ilford Lane → Jersey Road → Lowbrook Road → Paget Road. At no point along this route were the restriction signs visible or legible:

•   The entry signs to Jersey Road were defaced (photo 1)
•   All signs along Jersey Road were defaced (photos 2 - 5).
•   On Paget Road, the sign adjacent to where the vehicle was parked was facing the wrong way and defaced (photos 6–7).
•   On Lowbrook Road, the only other visible sign from this location was also defaced (photo .
•   On Lowbrook Road, the next nearest sign within walking distance was also defaced (photo 9).

I note that your Civil Enforcement Officer’s evidence has photographed a sign roughly 100 metres from where the vehicle was parked (photo 10 which the CEO produced as evidence). I have attached photo 13 which shows the location of the 5 closest signs, circled in green, to the parking space - all of which were defaced. The CEO had to walk 100m (photo 14 showing the distance to this sign) to the sign marked "number 4" in order to produce a photo for evidence. This is further confirmed by the timestamp on the photo which is 3 minutes after the photo of the vehicle was taken, showing they needed to walk some considerable distance.

I also note that the CEO seems to have intentionally not photographed the defaced sign right next to the parked vehicle. The angle of the photo they have taken conveniently leaves this sign out of shot (photo 11). You can refer to my own photo 15 and photo 16 showing the defaced sign next to the vehicle. This demonstrates that the signage within the vicinity of the vehicle was inadequate.

The TSRGD and associated case law and adjudicator decisions confirm that restrictions must be signed so they are clear, either upon entering a zone, or at the point of parking. Motorists cannot be expected to walk several minutes to discover a restriction, particularly when the nearest signs are obscured. As this is a zone where restrictions apply, the entry into the zone can be relied on to enforce those restrictions. However, as my evidence shows, this sign was also defaced.

In light of the above, I respectfully request that this Penalty Charge Notice be cancelled, as the contravention did not occur due to inadequate signage.

Thank you - I did read that page, and so it looks like I should go ahead and make a representation, as I will not receive anything in the post.

I'd like some advice on whether there are any technical challenges I can make on the PCN?

If not, whether or not the obscured signage (on both entry to the zone and in/around the parking spot), plus the fact the CEO has evidenced a sign 100m away - are these all strong grounds for an appeal? Or if anything else I should be considering or adding.

Thanks!

Can someone tell me what the sequence of events are after receiving a PCN attached to a car?

1. Is a notice sent in the post?
2. Does the 14 day window start from the notice in post (or the day the PCN was attached to the car)?
3. How many appeal stages there are?

I've marked out the location of all of the signs around the vicinity of the parking spot.

There are four signs on Paget Road itself - each numbered on the lamppost on Google Street View. The CEO has taken a picture of number 4.




The entry from Ilford Lane onto Jersey Road has signs saying "Permit holders parking only past this point", which I can see on Google Street View from Sep 2024 (albeit, they do have some spray painted on them even back then!). I understand the council can rely on these signs alone to enforce tickets (i.e. the signs on the street are not technically required). However, as you can see from this image from my dashcam, these signs were totally illegible, especially whilst driving.

Won't that allow anyone to then potentially submit an appeal. Not sure why anyone would do that but feels wrong to put the information on a public forum. Happy to pm the details if that's a more secure way to do it.