Code 32 PCN Appeal: Mandatory Direction and Ahead-Only Signs

1. What does contravention Code 32 mean?

Code 32 means that your vehicle is alleged to have travelled in a different direction from the one required by a blue circular arrow sign. An upward arrow means ahead only; a horizontal arrow requires the indicated left or right movement. A bent arrow tells you to turn ahead.

Read the complete allegation on the PCN. Code 32d describes proceeding in the wrong direction and Code 32t describes turning in the wrong direction. The question is what this sign required on your approach and whether the recorded journey complied, not simply whether the manoeuvre was safe or the road was empty.

Contravention

Code 32: failing to proceed in the direction shown by the arrow on a blue sign

Typical restrictions

Ahead only, compulsory left or right turn, and turn left or right ahead

Main evidence

The arrow and any exception plate, the driver's approach, the junction layout and the complete 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 32 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. Which blue direction signs apply?

Diagram 606 has a straight arrow pointing left, right or ahead. At a junction, it identifies the direction traffic must take. Diagram 609 has a bent arrow and indicates a compulsory turn ahead. These are instructions, not optional route advice.

An ahead-only sign can be attached beneath a traffic signal. The signal-mounted version of diagram 606 is prescribed separately in TSRGD Schedule 14. A clear ahead-only instruction does not need an additional red no-right-turn or no-left-turn sign to explain that a turn is prohibited.

Read any permitted exception plate with the arrow. A rectangular one-way sign, a diagonal keep-left or keep-right sign and a red prohibited-turn sign have different functions. In the standard code list, passing on the wrong side of a keep-left or keep-right sign is Code 38, while a prohibited turn is Code 50.

3. What must the authority prove?

The evidence must connect the sign, your approach and the movement alleged. A clear arrow photographed from a different direction does not establish what your driver could see.

• The required direction: identify the actual arrow, its position and the junction or road length to which it applies. The PCN and its images should make the alleged failure understandable.
• The legal restriction: where an order is needed, its operative article, schedule or map must cover the approach and movement alleged. Some roundabout and dual-carriageway arrangements have specific statutory exceptions to the usual order requirement.
• Sign placement and visibility: check whether the sign faced your approach before you committed to the manoeuvre. For standalone signs, the Manual distinguishes a horizontal junction arrow, an ahead-only sign immediately before the junction and a turn-ahead sign normally placed in advance. There is no universal requirement for two blue signs.
• Lighting: identify whether the arrow was standalone, bollard-mounted or fixed to traffic signals. Standalone signs have conditional lighting rules; the signal-mounted version has its own internal-lighting requirement. An assessment must use the rule for the actual installation.
• The complete movement: CCTV should establish the vehicle, junction and direction taken. A still photograph of a vehicle near a sign may not show that it passed or disobeyed it. Compare any older sign photographs with the layout on the incident date.
• Liability and notice: check the PCN description, date of service and the owner or qualifying hire documents. A vehicle registration alone does not resolve a properly evidenced liability dispute.

4. Grounds for appealing a Code 32 PCN

Explain the particular fault in the allegation and attach evidence of it. The strongest point is the one that changes whether this movement was prohibited or proved.

• The sign did not face your approach, was obscured or could not reasonably be read before the decision point. Use approach photographs and the CCTV sequence, not a close-up taken from another direction.
• You complied with the required direction, or the evidence does not show the contrary movement. Mark the junction and the vehicle's route on a plan and identify the relevant recording times.
• The PCN did not adequately explain which direction requirement was contravened. Read its wording and photographs together; the absence of a particular word or suffix does not alone establish this ground.
• The order or applicable legal provision did not cover the movement alleged, or a relevant exception applied. Supply the operative wording and the documents showing why it matters to your vehicle and journey.
• The sign evidence does not establish the conditions on the incident date. Identify roadworks, changed signs or an approach missing from the authority's photographs.
• You were not the liable owner, the vehicle was used without your consent, or a qualifying hire transfers liability. Provide dated evidence appropriate to that ground.

5. Exceptions, authorised vehicles and mitigation

An order may permit buses, local buses, taxis, cycles or authorised vehicles to make a movement that other traffic cannot. Where an exception applies, check the actual sign arrangement, the vehicle definition and the conditions of the permission. A taxi exception does not automatically cover private-hire vehicles.

A delivery, nearby address, Blue Badge or satnav instruction is not a general exemption from a blue direction arrow. The standard supplementary plates for diagrams 606 and 609 do not include an ordinary time-period plate; if a timed or unusual arrangement is relied upon, its legal basis and signing need checking.

If a road closure or unexpected obstruction affected the journey, provide the diversion information and evidence of what was happening. Distinguish an actual exception or failure of signing from a request for discretion. London adjudicators cannot allow an appeal solely because the circumstances were difficult.

6. How to make a formal representation

For a London Code 32 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 full CCTV. Identify your approach, the arrow's direction, the junction and the movement alleged. Keep photographs showing the sign from that approach.
3. State your ground and explain the specific issue: sign visibility, the movement shown, an unclear allegation, the operative restriction, an exception or liability. Attach the relevant images, plan or documents.
4. Identify any missing footage or dated sign evidence needed to resolve your point. Submit by the deadline and keep the full representation, 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

The Notice of Rejection should explain the authority's decision and give the tribunal appeal instructions. Check whether it answers your actual point: which arrow faced the approach, what movement was required and how the evidence establishes the failure.

Compare its photographs and plan with the complete CCTV. A generic statement that the signs comply does not resolve a specific dispute about a sign facing away from the vehicle, changed roadworks or missing movement evidence. If you relied on an exception, check the provision and conditions the authority has addressed.

Record the date of service and appeal deadline. Keep the PCN, representation, acknowledgement, rejection and evidence together, and review the authority's tribunal evidence pack against the issues still in dispute.

9. Taking a Code 32 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 the arrow, approach or recording 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.

Organise your evidence around the direction requirement: the sign facing your vehicle, the available movements and what happened at the junction. Explain why a previous decision addresses the same issue rather than relying on its outcome alone.

2025 London Tribunals Code 32 results

103 of 349 recorded cases were allowed (29.5%).