Code 29 PCN Appeal: How to Challenge a One-Way Restriction PCN

1. What does contravention Code 29 mean?

Code 29 alleges that your vehicle did not follow the direction required by a one-way restriction. The authority must connect the recorded movement to the part of road covered by that restriction. A still image of a parked vehicle does not show the movement that led to that position.

You may have entered from a side street or car park rather than the main entrance, or changed direction after stopping. Those details matter when identifying which signs informed your journey. Code 29 is not simply another name for passing a no-entry sign: read the PCN's full allegation and match it to the movement and signs relied upon.

Contravention

Code 29: failing to comply with a one-way restriction

Typical situations

Joining from a side road or car park, turning back after stopping, or travelling against the permitted direction

Main evidence

The one-way order, your entry point, signs facing that approach and the vehicle's movement on CCTV

Penalty amount

London: £160, reduced to £80 during the initial discount period. England outside London: £60 or £70, reduced to £30 or £35, according to the applicable charging band. Follow the notice for Wales and the discount deadline.

Representations

For a London Code 29 PCN, the authority must receive your representation within 28 days of service of the PCN

Appeal route

Formal representations to the issuing authority; after rejection, London Tribunals in London or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal under the relevant schemes elsewhere

2. Recognising the one-way sign

Diagram 652 is a rectangular blue sign with a white upward arrow. It indicates an order requiring traffic to travel in one direction along the road. Its position and angle should make clear which road it applies to.

A circular blue arrow is different: diagram 606 requires the indicated direction, while diagram 610 tells traffic which side of the sign to pass. A circular instruction at a junction may help direct traffic into a one-way system, but it is not the rectangular one-way sign. The separate ONE WAY sign aimed at pedestrians is not a substitute for the required driver-facing signs.

A no-entry sign at the opposite end controls entry from that direction. It does not show what a driver joining halfway along the road could see. Check entry signs and repeaters along the actual route; a painted arrow can help, but does not replace the need to establish the order and adequate signing.

3. What evidence is needed for a Code 29 PCN?

Start with a route plan that joins the evidence together: where the vehicle entered, which signs it encountered, and where it travelled against the alleged direction.

• One-way order: identify the operative article and road schedule or map, including the required direction, extent, commencement and any exceptions. The road name alone is not the complete restriction.
• Actual entry point: match the recording to the relevant side-road junction, access or car-park exit. The authority's sign photographs should be traceable to that route.
• Sign orientation: show the front of the sign from the driver's approach. A sign angled towards a different road, or visible only from another approach, may not adequately explain this one-way restriction.
• Signs along the road: consider the entry signs, bends, intervening junctions and repeaters together. Traffic Signs Manual advice on repeater spacing is guidance, not a universal distance-based cancellation rule.
• Lighting: diagram 652 has a specific test involving a speed limit above 20 mph, a street-lighting lamp within 50 metres and a junction within 50 metres from which traffic can approach the sign. Establish those conditions before alleging a direct-lighting defect.
• Recorded movement and identity: watch the full sequence, including any turn, stop or reversal. Check that the vehicle is yours and that its movement, not just its position in a still image, proves the allegation.

4. Grounds for appealing a Code 29 PCN

A useful representation identifies a specific gap between the allegation and the evidence. Explain the journey before arguing about an individual sign.

• The signs did not inform your approach: provide photographs taken along the route you used, showing the sign's angle, obstruction or relationship to adjoining roads.
• The evidence does not connect the signs to your vehicle: mark the CCTV position, entry point and photographs on the same plan. Explain what the authority has not established.
• The order does not prohibit the recorded movement: identify the relevant road length, direction, date or exception in the operative provisions.
• The vehicle or movement has been misidentified: compare distinguishing vehicle features and the complete recording, not only the registration or a single still.
• A direction or exception applied: give precise details and supporting evidence of the instruction or provision relied upon, rather than assuming an exemption from the journey's purpose.
• The wrong person is being held liable: provide dated ownership documents or the complete qualifying hire agreement and liability information.

5. Contraflow permissions and other exceptions

A contraflow cycle or bus facility does not let every vehicle travel both ways. Check the vehicle classes and route specified in the order, together with the signs for that facility. Do not infer permission for a car from a cyclist or bus travelling towards you.

If a police officer directed the movement, record where and when the instruction was given and obtain supporting material where available. An incident reference, witness account or footage may help establish what happened. The refusal below illustrates why an unsupported account can fail on the evidence.

Stopping at a shop, collecting a passenger or following navigation does not itself remove the one-way restriction. Where you seek discretion for the circumstances, make that request to the authority separately from any legal ground.

6. How to make a formal representation

For a London Code 29 PCN, submit formal representations to the issuing authority using the details on the notice. London Tribunals states they must be received "within 28 days of the date the Penalty Charge Notice is served".

Outside London, use the submission route and deadline on the notice under the applicable English or Welsh scheme.

1. Open the official evidence and challenge portal shown on the PCN. Enter the notice reference and vehicle registration.
2. Review the complete CCTV. Mark your entry point, route and direction of travel on a plan, and obtain photographs of the signs facing that approach.
3. State your ground and explain the specific issue: an angled sign, unmatched site photographs, the one-way order's extent, a disputed movement, an exception or liability. Attach the supporting evidence.
4. Identify any missing evidence needed to resolve the point, submit the representation by the deadline and keep the full text, attachments and dated acknowledgement.

7. How long does the authority have to respond?

London Tribunals states that the authority "should normally respond to representations within 3 months".

For formal representations under England's 2022 regulations outside London, the authority must serve its decision within 56 days of receiving them. Welsh Government guidance also states a 56-day response period under the separate Welsh regulations.

8. Check the Notice of Rejection and evidence

Check whether the rejection answers the route you described. A photograph of a clear sign at the main entrance does not resolve a dispute about joining from another access. The explanation should connect the sign evidence, order and movement recorded.

Record the date of service and the appeal deadline. Keep the PCN, representation, acknowledgement, rejection and evidence together. Before appealing, mark any remaining disagreement directly on your route plan and compare it with the authority's tribunal evidence pack.

9. Taking a Code 29 appeal to the tribunal

For a London PCN, register your appeal with London Tribunals within 28 days beginning with service of the Notice of Rejection. Use its verification details, select the relevant ground and explain how your route, the one-way signs or the recorded movement supports your case.

Outside London, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal handles the relevant English and Welsh schemes. Use the appeal details in the rejection. Both tribunals are independent and normally charge no appeal fee; if the appeal is refused, the full penalty is normally payable.

Present the route plan, dated approach photographs and recording as a connected sequence. If relying on an exception or instruction, add the evidence that establishes it. The decisions below show how a sign can exist at a location without proving that it adequately informed a particular approach.

2025 London Tribunals Code 29 results

35 of 115 recorded cases were allowed (30.4%).