Hillingdon Code 34 PCN Appeal: Being in a Bus Lane (2026)

1. What does a Hillingdon Code 34 PCN mean?

Hillingdon alleges that your vehicle was in a bus lane during its operating period without permission to use it. The council's CCTV enforcement list includes Code 34. Read the road, direction and time on your notice, then review the full recording.

The disputed movement may be an early entry before a left turn, driving along the lane or crossing to an access. The sign and traffic order determine which vehicles may use that lane and when. This is the London bus-lane procedure under the 1996 Act.

Contravention

Code 34: being in a bus lane

Authority

London Borough of Hillingdon

Main evidence

Full CCTV, approach signs, vehicle permissions, operating hours and the bus-lane boundary

Current penalty

£160; £80 if paid within the initial 14 days beginning with the date of the PCN. Check the discount date on your notice.

Formal representations

Within 28 days beginning with service of the Enforcement Notice

Appeal route

Formal representations to Hillingdon; London Tribunals after a Notice of Rejection

2. What must Hillingdon establish?

For a with-flow bus lane, diagram 958 gives advance warning and diagram 959B identifies the lane and permitted vehicles. A time panel gives the operating period; without one, the sign indicates an all-times restriction.

• The operative traffic order covers the lane, direction, hours and vehicle class alleged. Check its schedule or map and relevant access or other exceptions.
• The signs facing your actual approach adequately communicate that restriction. Photograph any obstruction or unreadable time panel from driver height.
• The recording identifies your vehicle and its position relative to the solid 1049A boundary, broken lead-in or junction break, and lane end. BUS LANE lettering supports the signed layout.
• The relevant signs are illuminated or reflectorised. A missing dedicated lamp, coloured surface or optional end sign is not by itself proof that the restriction is invalid.
• The camera evidence meets the London bus-lane requirements, and the notice is pursued against the correct liable person.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a Hillingdon bus-lane appeal

Explain the specific point that changes whether this journey breached the restriction, supported by the recording, signs or documents.

Turning left or not obstructing a bus is not an exemption by itself. There is no universal 20-metre allowance for using a bus lane.

• Outside operating hours or a permitted vehicle: compare the timestamp with the complete sign, and provide the relevant vehicle licence or authorisation. Taxi permission does not automatically include private-hire vehicles.
• An obscured sign or incomplete approach evidence: show which route you took and what prevented the restriction from being understood. A clear photograph from a different approach may not resolve that issue.
• A permitted crossing or access: identify the destination, the actual movement and the exemption in the order. A nearby parking bay or delivery address does not automatically permit driving along the lane.
• A necessary exempt manoeuvre: provide evidence of the hazard, police direction or emergency and the provision that applies. A Blue Badge does not create a general bus-lane exemption.
• An evidential or liability error: identify the wrong vehicle, an unproved lane entry, a specific camera-evidence defect, incorrect ownership or use without consent. Supply any police notice concerning the same conduct.

4. How to challenge a Hillingdon Code 34 PCN

Use Hillingdon's APCOA portal to view the evidence and submit a written challenge. Enter the PCN number and vehicle registration. A challenge at the initial PCN stage is informal; it does not replace formal representations against an Enforcement Notice.

The initial PCN allows 28 days beginning with its date for payment. If it remains unpaid, Hillingdon may issue an Enforcement Notice. London Tribunals gives "28 days, beginning with the date of service of that notice" to pay or make formal representations.

The initial discount is 14 days beginning with the PCN date. Check your notice and any written offer from Hillingdon; an initial challenge does not automatically preserve the discount.

1. Open the official portal and review the full recording. Note the operating time, approach signs and point where your vehicle entered or crossed the lane.
2. State your ground and attach dated photographs, relevant footage, authorisation or ownership documents. Identify any order provision relied on and ask Hillingdon to address the precise issue.
3. Submit through the portal at the correct notice stage. For post, address your written submission to Hillingdon Council, Parking Services, PO Box 5824, Dingwall, IV15 0BH; include the PCN number, vehicle registration and full contact details.
4. Keep the full submission, attachments and dated acknowledgement. Allow time for a postal representation to arrive within the deadline and retain proof of posting.

5. How long does Hillingdon have to respond?

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

6. If Hillingdon rejects your representation

Check the formal Notice of Rejection against your actual ground: the approach sign, operating hours, vehicle permission, boundary crossing or access exemption. A refusal of an initial informal challenge is not the formal rejection that opens the tribunal appeal route.

Appeal to London Tribunals within 28 days beginning with service of the Notice of Rejection, using its appeal instructions and verification details. Include the notices, your representations and the evidence supporting your ground, then respond to Hillingdon's evidence pack.

The tribunal is independent and normally free to use; if the appeal is refused, the full penalty is normally payable. Ask Hillingdon to consider mitigation where appropriate, but the adjudicator cannot allow a bus-lane appeal solely on that basis.

Read the full Code 34 guide

Detailed bus-lane sign, marking and exemption checks, with London-wide tribunal examples.