Free Traffic Legal Advice

Thank you Incandescent

It sounds like I would probably lose at formal appeal, and as you said, there's no legal right to a discount.

I've looked through Islington's TMO and the council can suspend a bay for as long as is "reasonably necessary".

It doesn't explicitly state waste collection as a reason to suspend a bay, but it states the following:

(ii) the removal of any obstruction to traffic in the street;
(iii) the maintenance, improvement, reconstruction, cleaning or
lighting of any street;

I assume the council that the above would qualify?

I'm going to write to my local councillor with the below. Is there anything else you would add or that I should focus on? I've tried to keep it short.

Dear .....,

I’m seeking your assistance regarding four Parking Charge Notices (PCNs IZ38051908, IZ38368256, IZ38339746, IZ3845615A) issued to my vehicle (NU59 CCD) on Liverpool Road.

I parked on Liverpool Road around 11pm on 10th January. I acknowledge I did not see the suspension sign, but it was positioned outside the part of the bay that was suspended, so I reasonably believed it was fine to park there.

After parking, I stayed with my parents to provide care. My mother is recovering from spinal surgery and my father is undergoing treatment for glioblastoma. I was then abroad from 16th to 28th January, only discovering the PCNs on my return.

The council has rejected my appeal, stating my vehicle was in a suspended bay in each occasion. I admit that I made a mistake, but enforcing all four PCNs for the same oversight seems disproportionate and unfair, particularly given my personal circumstances.

I would be very grateful for your support in having them reviewed or reduced.

Yours sincerely,

Hi Tincombe, thanks for your reply.

Please can you clarify "the same length of road is subject to a 24/7 No Waiting and No Loading restriction"?

In the council's response to my appeal, they stated "the suspension notice was installed on 29 October 2025". This does seem contradictory to what the sign itself says, but I don't know whether that matters?

How do I find out whether a 3 year suspension is permissible for waste collection?

Potentially around page 16 here (https://www.islington.gov.uk/-/media/sharepoint-lists/public-records/transportandinfrastructure/parking/2023-consolidation-order/made-orders/free-pp-wlr.pdf?la=en&hash=CFB66C9DAAD642CE505FB42744320A785A81D4EE) ?

Need to shoot off out for a bit now but will read through it all later!

Hi everyone

Thank you for taking the time to help with this. Here's a summary of my case:

1. I parked in a suspended bay late at night and didn't see the sign.
2. I left my car there whilst I was looking after my parents, and then I went abroad.
3. When I returned from abroad, my car had been moved and had been issued 4 PCNs for parking in the suspended bay. Two were past the 14 days for 50% discount.
4. I appealed to Islington Council. They have offered all 4 PCNs at the 50% discounted rate, so 4 x £80.

I'd like to know if I have a strong case or there are any precedents to take this further. £640 would be very painful if I lose.

I have provided a link for my full appeal further down. A summary of my appeal is as follows:

-I believe the council are being unfair and excessive by enforcing all 4 tickets.
-I think the sign is badly positioned and not very visible at night.
-The sign is not located on the part of the bay which is suspended.
-You cannot see the house numbers from the parking bay (or even directly outside the properties at night)

The PCNs are here:






I mistakenly obscured my reg and PCN numbers in the other documents I've uploaded for this post, but left them intact on the PCNs photographed above.

Here's a photo of the suspended bay signage:



This is the location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/WaGVXNw4cw25cJU76

Here are photos of my car parked in the suspended bay, taken by the CEOs:




This is the appeal that I sent to the council: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vupbpkp1HT_wRe7TVxj4JoTZilJfRjMo/view?usp=sharing

The photographs taken by the CEOs show the sign more visible than my photos do, due to angle, lighting, etc. There was also a car slightly outside the bay when I went to take photos (Photo 1 below).

Here are the photos that I referencing in my appeal:

Photo 1:


Photo 2:


Photo 3:


Photo 4:


Photo 5:


This is the council's response to my appeal: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rtbAPwB42r-Pk7nj634MgiQIu0ZNZc6S/view?usp=sharing

This is a photo of the street showing the rough position of where my car was parked relative to the suspended bay sign.

It's clear that the sign is not outside 129 - 131 Liverpool Road. It's between 127 and 125 Liverpool Road.



Thank you again for your time and help.