Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi

I received a parking ticket. Is it enforceable = I believe no contract is formed.

The on-site signage displays the following restrictions with he words Maximum stay 90 minutes.

This applies Sunday–Thursday: 10:30 am – 00:30 am and
Friday & Saturday: 10:30 am – 1:30 am
No overnight parking

Am I correct that a plain-English interpretation, consistent with BPA Code of Practice 18.6, shows these are the restricted operating hours. Parking outside these times, including
before 10:30 am, is not prohibited and there are no words to indicate it is prohibited.
The vehicle was recorded between 9:20 am and 9:40 am, before the restrictions
commenced. Accordingly, no contractual breach occurred and no enforceable parking contract existed at that time?

It is notable the Pizza Hut claimed open until 3am, which means one cannot enter the car park at 2am to collect if parking outside the above horus are not allowed.

Images here:


https://imgpile.com/p/TxJC34X

They rejected my initial appeal and did not address the restriction and state:
"We can confirm that the contravention of unauthorised parking occurred as your vehicle remained on
site for 19 minutes. We can confirm that this PC has been issued correctly, and we have made the
decision to uphold the parking charge......"


Appeal is to IAS.

Any thoughts?


Sorry, posted in wrong section.  I do not see a delete option.

Here is the entrance main sign and close up:

https://imgpile.com/p/LMWoYPN

There is no mention of EV parking or charging.
It is clear there was a sticker on the pole sign at some point and has been removed.
Google Street View and th sign makes this clear.

It could be the sticker on the entrance at one time mentioned EV.

But the penalties text is so small no driver could read it on entry.

Update:
1st bay has a ripped/missing sticker on the charger  (an nin EV car was parked when I parked - cannot see the charger)
2nd bay has no sticker on the charger (was free)
3rd Bay has a ripped sticker on the charge. (Person was leaning against it engrossed on his phone so I could not see the sticker)

The stickers are 90cm from the ground and the sticker is 20cm high.

Empty bays here: 
https://imgpile.com/p/b2pkFmA

A parking supervisor stated:

"Thank you for your email and for taking the time to provide detailed observations regarding the electric vehicle (EV) bays at Holmsdale Road car park.

We are aware that the bay markings have deteriorated over time although are still clear and the signage has been removed or vandalised at this location. Our signage team have been notified and are arranging for the signage and road markings to be reviewed and refreshed to ensure they remain clear.

In the meantime, while enforcement can still be carried out where restrictions are adequately signed, our officers will take a pragmatic approach where signage or markings are unclear or incomplete. Until the improvements are made, we will be monitoring the site to ensure fairness and consistency in enforcement.

To clarify:

Enforcement action can only be taken where the restriction is clear and enforceable.

Temporary or damaged signs that cause ambiguity will be referred for maintenance before enforcement resumes.

Once the signage and markings have been reinstated, only vehicles that are actively charging in an EV bay will be permitted to park there.

We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention and for highlighting the specific issues with the current signage. Your feedback has been passed to the relevant team for action, and we will ensure the site is inspected and any necessary works scheduled."


This does not mean a PCN will be cancelled!

Council pictures: https://imgpile.com/p/L4MRJqp

Coventry City Council Car Park:

PCN stuck on windscreen of electric car (not charging).
There is mo dispute an EV was parked and not plugged in/charging. Their evidence is the car parked oin the bay and the torm sticker on the charger. See URL for image.

Car Park here: https://www.google.com/local/place/fid/0x48774bf2f9b7c32f:0x8f533311f674f672/photosphere?iu=https://streetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com/v1/thumbnail?panoid%3DAp5bpW94I6tjgTiVfRq93A%26cb_client%3Dsearch.gws-prod.gps%26yaw%3D70.79856%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100%26w%3D0%26h%3D0&ik=CAISFkFwNWJwVzk0STZ0amdUaVZmUnE5M0E%3D


Contravention: Parked in an electric vechicle's charging place during restricted hours without charging.

Contravention code: 71
Date: 02/11/2025
Observed from 10:42 to 10:42
Colour: GREY  (Wrong - actually Blue - but irrelevant)


1. 3 EV parking bays.
2. Road markings Electic Vechicles (faded and not complete lettering  e.g. C is not complete)
3. No pole sign indicating EV Charging. All signs on stickers on chargers.
4. First charger has no sticker.
5. Second charger has a legible but torm sticker.
5. Third charger has a legible stikcer.

Sticker states in white text on green back ground stick around a curved charger.

Electic Vechicle
parking - only
while charging.

Above text: White P in blue background (left)
White car charging symbol on green background (right)




Is the PCN enforceable - or is the signage defecient?

I thought stickers are not permitted signs.

Is the following correct?

Not Prescribed by TSRGD: The regulations specify upright signage on a post or column for visibility and standardization. Stickers on the charger (often at 1–1.5m height) are considered supplementary (e.g., for operational instructions like payment methods) but cannot replace the mandatory post sign. They may obscure when the charger is in use and aren't visible from a distance or while approaching the bay.
Enforcement Implications: Without the pole-mounted sign, the bay lacks "full markings," making PCNs challengeable. Courts and tribunals (e.g., via the Traffic Penalty Tribunal) have ruled that signage must follow exact TSRGD formats—stickers alone fail this test.

Images: https://imgpile.com/p/nhdbu2p


Any advice if PCN should be challenged?

Thanks