Hillingdon Code 33 PCN Appeal: Bus Gates and Restricted Routes (2026)

1. What does a Hillingdon Code 33 PCN mean?

Hillingdon alleges that your vehicle used a route reserved for the classes shown on its blue restriction sign. A bus gate can be a short section of road: driving through it can establish the allegation without stopping or obstructing a bus. Hillingdon lists Code 33 among its CCTV-enforced contraventions.

The local decisions below concern Vine Street. They show why the actual approach, sign face and supporting photographs matter: two appeals succeeded because the evidence did not establish clear restriction signs, while other appeals were refused on sufficient evidence. These decisions do not determine another journey.

Contravention

Code 33: using a route restricted to certain vehicles; read the permitted classes on the sign and PCN

Authority

London Borough of Hillingdon

Main evidence

CCTV of the passage, signs facing your approach and the operative restriction

Current penalty

£160; £80 during the initial 14-day payment period beginning with the PCN date. Check your notice's discount deadline.

Representations

Hillingdon must receive them within 28 days of PCN service

Appeal route

Formal representation to Hillingdon, then London Tribunals after rejection

2. What must Hillingdon establish?

The blue sign identifies the permitted vehicles. Diagram 953 can show buses, cycles and taxis, with permitted omissions and a local-bus variant. The artwork below shows the statutory alternatives, not proof of the sign installed at your location. Compare the actual sign, any time or authorisation plate and the restriction in force.

Hillingdon's evidence must connect your vehicle's passage to that restriction. The BUS GATE road marking is optional support, not a substitute for the upright sign. An indistinct CCTV sign may need clear, relevant site photographs to establish what faced the driver.

• Movement and identity: the recording must establish which route your vehicle used and when it passed the restriction.
• Legal restriction: the operative provisions, including any traffic order and amendments relied on, must cover that road, direction, time and vehicle class.
• Signs on your approach: assess the sign face, plate, position and visibility at the material time. Photographs of different signs or an unexplained approach may not establish this.
• Notice and liability: check that the PCN states the allegation and is directed to the person liable under the London moving-traffic scheme.

3. Grounds and exemptions to check

Build the representation around a specific mismatch between the allegation and the evidence. The allowed Vine Street decisions concerned what Hillingdon had proved about the signs, not a permanent exemption from that road's restriction.

• Signs not adequately established: identify your approach and explain an obscured sign, unreadable plate or mismatch between the CCTV and site photographs. Supply dated images or dashcam footage where available.
• Vehicle or journey permitted: show that your vehicle met a class displayed on the sign or a relevant authorisation or exemption. Check the operative order and conditions; permission at another gate does not establish permission here.
• Outside the restriction: match the recorded time, direction and entry point against any operating hours and the restricted length of road.
• Wrong vehicle or liability: explain the error with the relevant ownership, consent or qualifying hire documents.
• Mitigation is different: explain any exceptional circumstances to Hillingdon, but a satnav instruction, destination access or an honest mistake does not itself establish an exemption. The refused example below shows why clear sign evidence can defeat a general visibility argument.

4. How to make a formal representation to Hillingdon

Use Hillingdon's official APCOA portal with your PCN number and vehicle registration. It provides evidence and accepts challenges or representations. London Tribunals says Hillingdon must receive your representation "within 28 days of the date the Penalty Charge Notice is served".

The current Hillingdon moving-traffic penalty is £160, reduced to £80 during the initial 14-day period beginning with the PCN date. Check the actual notice and any later written discount offer; a renewed discount is not assumed.

1. Enter the HN PCN reference and vehicle registration exactly as printed. Review the available evidence and request the full recording or clearer sign images if needed.
2. Identify your ground, the route and relevant timestamps. Attach evidence explaining the sign problem, permitted vehicle class or other point, rather than relying on a general complaint about the location.
3. Submit the formal representation by the deadline, even if an evidence request is outstanding. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration and contact details.
4. Save the submitted text, attachments and dated confirmation. To write by post, use Hillingdon Council, Parking Services, PO Box 5824, Dingwall, IV15 0BH, checking the address on your current PCN. Allow time for receipt and retain proof of posting.

5. When should Hillingdon respond?

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

6. If Hillingdon rejects: appeal to London Tribunals

Check whether the Notice of Rejection addresses your actual approach, the sign evidence and any claimed permission. To appeal, use the rejection's appeal details and register with London Tribunals within 28 days beginning with service of that notice.

Submit the notices, your grounds and relevant evidence. Review Hillingdon's tribunal evidence pack, especially whether its photographs establish the signs shown on the recording, and answer any new points. London Tribunals decides the appeal independently; it cannot allow an appeal solely on mitigation.

If the appeal is refused, follow the decision's payment instructions. The full penalty is normally at stake, so do not assume that an earlier £80 offer continues through tribunal.

2025 Hillingdon restricted-route tribunal results

2 of 8 recorded cases were allowed (25.0%).

8. Read the full Code 33 guide

The full guide explains the permitted sign variants, legal requirements, exemptions and wider restricted-route decisions.