Moving Traffic and Bus Lane PCNs

What Moving Traffic and Bus Lane PCNs Cover

A moving-traffic PCN alleges that a vehicle was driven contrary to a restriction. Camera footage, the approach to the restriction and the sign's exact instruction are central. A still photograph of a car in a yellow box does not answer the same questions as footage of a prohibited turn. Code 33 restricted-vehicle signs and code 34 bus lanes also need different procedural checks.

Postal PCNs and the London Bus Lane Exception

• London moving traffic under the 2003 Act: the postal PCN invites representations to the issuing authority. No Notice to Owner follows as a required appeal stage. Use the representation deadline printed on the PCN; the statutory representation period is normally 28 days beginning with service.
• London bus lanes under the 1996 Act: a postal PCN can be followed by an Enforcement Notice. An early informal challenge may be considered, but formal representations are made against the Enforcement Notice, normally within 28 days beginning with service. This is not a bailiff Notice of Enforcement.
• Outside London: English bus-lane and moving-traffic enforcement under the 2022 regulations and Welsh enforcement under the 2013 regulations normally allow representations against the postal PCN. Do not wait for a London-style bus-lane Enforcement Notice.
• If formal representations are rejected: use the Notice of Rejection to appeal to London Tribunals or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, as applicable. The ordinary tribunal period is 28 days beginning with service of the rejection.
• Specialist London permits: codes 58 and 59 concern London Lorry Control, while codes 67 and 68 concern TfL HGV Safety Permits. Use their individual guides for the liable recipient, permit conditions and scheme-specific amounts; these are not ordinary borough moving-traffic penalties.

The 2022 English regulations do not replace London's separate moving-traffic and bus-lane legislation. Wales also has separate regulations. Use the legislation named on the PCN and the official procedure for that scheme.

PCN Deadlines and Penalty Amounts

London Tribunals describes a 14-day discount for London moving-traffic and 1996 Act bus-lane PCNs. The 2003 Act's payment period is tied to the date of notice, while its representation period is tied to service; do not silently substitute one date for the other. The London schemes do not inherit the parking regulations' automatic 56-day acceptance rule: London Tribunals says authorities should normally respond within three months. Outside London, check the applicable regulations and notice rather than importing those London timings.

London Councils lists borough bus-lane and minor moving-traffic penalties at £160. Band A and Band B higher/lower parking rates do not classify these moving-traffic penalties. TfL notices and penalties outside London must be checked against the relevant scheme's tariff.

Evidence to Challenge the Camera Allegation

• The full CCTV recording, including the approach and relevant entry or turn, rather than only the notice's still images.
• Photographs or dated footage of the signs on the actual approach, including any obstruction and supplementary plate.
• The traffic order and map where the restriction, access exemption or hours are disputed.
• Vehicle-class, permit, authorisation or destination records where an exception is relevant.
• A timed account of the manoeuvre. For a box junction, identify the precise stopping point, cause of the stop and any right turn.

Grounds to Challenge Moving Traffic and Bus Lane PCNs

• For code 31, did the vehicle stop inside the box because of stationary vehicles? Watch the approach, entry and reason for stopping. Check the defined right-turn exception where the vehicle was prevented from completing that turn by oncoming traffic or other right-turning vehicles.
• For a bus gate or restricted-vehicle street, was this vehicle class permitted at that time? Read all vehicle symbols, supplementary wording, time limits and any access or permit exception.
• For a prohibited turn, no entry or one-way allegation, does the full recording show the prohibited manoeuvre or passage, and was the relevant instruction adequately conveyed on the approach used?
• For a pedestrian, school-street or other timed zone, compare the camera time with the restriction hours and any authorised vehicle or access permission.
• For a bus lane, check the entry point, operating hours, permitted vehicles and any actual necessity or exemption. There is no universal entitlement to drive a short distance in a bus lane.

Exemptions depend on the restriction. A right-turn exception belongs to the yellow-box rule; it is not a general exception for turning through a bus gate. A permit, vehicle class or access permission must cover the street, time and journey in question. A Blue Badge does not by itself exempt a vehicle from moving-traffic restrictions. Separate a claimed legal exception from a request for discretion following an emergency.

Explain the Ground and the Evidence Together

Identify the alleged contravention, explain the fact or exemption that answers it, and attach the supporting record. A payment screenshot should show the location and time; a camera challenge should identify the relevant sequence. Ask for cancellation on the applicable ground, with any request for discretion stated separately.

Send the Challenge to the Issuing Authority

Use the online representation form or postal address printed on the current notice. Include the PCN reference and registration, retain copies of all evidence and keep the submission confirmation. The issuing authority is the first decision-maker; the tribunal deals with an appeal after formal rejection.

If the Authority Rejects the Challenge

An informal rejection does not end the statutory parking process. Formal rejection provides the tribunal appeal instructions. Address the reasons given, keep the earlier evidence and submit the appeal in time. If the case is upheld, the penalty is cancelled; if refused, follow the decision's payment instructions. Failure to respond can lead to a Charge Certificate and later enforcement.