Lewisham Code 34 PCN Appeal (2026)

1. What does Lewisham Code 34 mean?

Code 34 means that a vehicle is alleged to have been in a bus lane when it was not permitted to use it. A with-flow bus lane runs in the same direction as adjacent traffic, usually along the left side of the road. Its vehicle permissions, operating hours and extent depend on the signs and traffic order.

This is lane enforcement, not the Code 33 allegation of using a restricted route or bus gate. The authority does not have to show that a bus was obstructed. Check the full recording: the relevant issue may be entering too early before a left turn, crossing to an access, or driving along the lane.

Contravention

Code 34: being in a bus lane

Issuing authority

London Borough of Lewisham

Formal representation deadline

28 days beginning with service of the Enforcement Notice.

Penalty and discount

£160, reduced to £80 during the applicable discount period. Lewisham bus-lane and moving-traffic PCNs under the council's charge schedule effective from 7 April 2025; the schedule lists a 50% early-payment discount.

Initial discount

The initial 50% discount applies during the first 14 days beginning with the date of the PCN. A challenge does not automatically extend that period. Check the council's policy and any renewed offer in its reply.

Appeal route

Lewisham, then London Tribunals after a formal Notice of Rejection.

2. What must Lewisham establish?

The order, sign evidence and recording need to identify the same lane, direction, operating period and vehicle. A clear image of a car near a bus lane does not resolve where it entered, whether a permission applied or what signs faced its approach.

Diagram 958 is the blue advance sign showing the bus lane ahead, including its broken lead-in line. Diagram 959B is the blue rectangular sign at the lane, with a solid white lane divider. Read the actual symbols and wording: buses or local buses, cycles, and any permitted taxis, motorcycles or authorised vehicles.

A time panel shows when the with-flow restriction operates. With no time panel, the sign indicates a lane operating at all times. The sign must match the order; do not assume that permission for motorcycles or taxis in one lane applies in another.

The broad continuous white boundary is diagram 1049A. Broken diagram 1010 markings identify the lead-in or a relevant break, while BUS LANE lettering helps identify the lane. Check where these markings start and end relative to the vehicle. Coloured surfacing is not a legal requirement, and a missing optional End of bus lane sign is not itself proof that the restriction ended earlier.

• An operative traffic order: obtain the article, schedule or map defining the bus lane, its hours, vehicle classes and exceptions, together with relevant amendments.
• An adequately signed approach: check the advance sign and lane sign actually available on the route taken, including after a side-road entry. The manual recommends placing 959B near the start of the continuous line and repeating it after side junctions; its layout guidance is not a universal two-sign requirement.
• A visible lane boundary: compare the continuous line, lead-in, junction break and lane end with the exact vehicle path. Photograph missing or badly worn stretches in context, not only a close-up of one defect.
• Readable signs at the time: identify obstruction by other signs, foliage or vehicles, and unreadable operating hours. The relevant upright signs may be illuminated or reflectorised; absence of a dedicated lamp alone does not establish a defect.
• Reliable camera evidence: the complete recording must identify the vehicle, time and lane use. In London, the recording's admissibility also depends on the 1996 Act's device-approval and evidence requirements.
• The correct liable person and notice: check ownership at the material time, the allegation and the applicable notice and service requirements.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a Lewisham Code 34 appeal

Tie the challenge to an identifiable problem in the evidence. There is no universal distance allowance that makes the first 20 metres of bus-lane use lawful.

Read the sign and the order together. A local-bus restriction is not permission for every vehicle with several seats. Motorcycle use depends on the lane's permission. Taxi wording does not automatically include private-hire vehicles, and any authorised-vehicle permission must cover the vehicle, lane and date.

Check the exact wording of any access, loading, crossing or emergency exception. A delivery, Blue Badge or destination beside the lane does not by itself establish permission to travel along it. Parking and loading controls are separate from the bus-lane restriction.

For a claimed access exemption, show where the vehicle crossed, the shortest practical movement to its destination and why the order covers that manoeuvre. The selected allowed access case turned on its particular order and a short approach to a lawful parking bay.

Turning left, following satnav or finding the lane empty is not an exemption on its own. If the circumstances support discretion rather than a legal ground, explain them to the authority and provide the evidence.

• Outside operating hours: compare the CCTV timestamp and day with the sign panel and the operative order. Include a readable photograph of the complete sign.
• Your vehicle was permitted: provide the vehicle classification, licence or authorisation and identify the matching sign symbol and order definition. A private-hire licence does not automatically establish a taxi exemption.
• The approach was not adequately signed: show the obstruction or missing sign sequence from the driver's route. A photograph of an unobstructed sign elsewhere does not answer that particular issue.
• Access rather than travelling along the lane: identify the destination, the precise crossing and the order provision allowing it. A lawful parking bay may be relevant, but its existence does not automatically justify driving along the bus lane.
• The recording does not establish the alleged lane use: identify the lane end or break, wrong vehicle, incorrect timestamp or missing part of the journey. Explain why the gap changes the allegation.
• A necessary manoeuvre was exempt: provide footage or other evidence of the hazard, police direction or other event and the applicable exception. Simply describing another vehicle as dangerous may not overcome contrary CCTV.
• London camera evidence is not established: identify the particular approval, certification or evidential gap in the authority's material. Do not assume all bus-lane cameras are unapproved.
• Liability is wrong: provide dated sale, purchase or keeper evidence, or evidence that the vehicle was used without consent. Where police action concerns the same conduct, supply the relevant notice.

4. How to make a formal representation to Lewisham

A London bus-lane PCN starts with a 28-day payment period beginning with its date. Lewisham may consider an initial challenge. Formal representations are made against the Enforcement Notice within 28 days beginning with its service.

The initial 50% discount applies during the first 14 days beginning with the date of the PCN. A challenge does not automatically extend that period. Check the council's policy and any renewed offer in its reply.

1. Open Lewisham's PCN service below. Enter the PCN reference (prefix ZY) and vehicle registration to find the notice and evidence.
2. Use Lewisham's council-linked online challenge service for a PCN starting ZY. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, full name and postal address.
3. Lewisham accepts written challenges by post to its Parking Service Appeals Team. It says decisions cannot be made over the telephone and a challenge will not be considered after the penalty has been paid.
4. If a disability or another condition makes challenging the PCN difficult, Lewisham invites requests for reasonable adjustments through Parking Services on 020 8787 5397.
5. Explain which part of the Code 34 allegation you dispute. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, your address and copies of photographs or records supporting each point.
6. Postal alternative: Parking Service Appeals Team, PO Box 297, Sheffield, S98 1SU. Allow time for receipt before the deadline and retain proof of posting.
7. Save the full submission, attachments and dated acknowledgement.

5. How long does Lewisham have to respond?

London Tribunals says the authority "should normally respond to representations within 3 months". Keep Lewisham's acknowledgement and the date your representations were received.

6. If Lewisham rejects your representation

A formal Notice of Rejection explains Lewisham's decision and how to appeal to London Tribunals. You have 28 days beginning with service of that notice to pay or register your tribunal appeal.

Compare the reply with the Code 34 grounds and evidence you submitted. Identify any unanswered point, missing evidence or inconsistency between the restriction and the recorded event. Keep the rejection notice and the appeal details supplied with it.

7. Taking your Lewisham appeal to London Tribunals

London Tribunals is independent of Lewisham. Use the registration instructions and verification details in the Notice of Rejection, upload your evidence and explain why the alleged Code 34 contravention or liability is disputed.

There is no fee to register the appeal. If it is refused, the full penalty is normally payable; an earlier discount does not automatically continue. If registering late, explain the delay so the adjudicator can decide whether to accept the appeal.

Read Lewisham's evidence pack and respond to the points relevant to your case. Keep to the tribunal's directions and evidence deadlines.

2025 London Tribunals results: shared context

308 of 879 recorded cases were allowed (35.0%).

Full Code 34 PCN Appeal Guide

Read the detailed legislation, signage requirements, exemptions and case analysis for this contravention.