Embarrassing- Multiple PCNs- I have no option but to pay, do I?

[RoadSignFool]

I have name changed for this as it’s so embarrassing.

Long story short, last week was taking my son to an activity camp in an unfamiliar part of London. I managed to drive down a prohibited street twice a day for 4 days and have been issued with a £65 fine for each time, so a total of £1300.

I checked the driving route the night before day 1 but didn’t realise that a small section of the route it gave me was closed to cars between 7 am and 7pm every day.

It’s completely my own fault, the signage was clear in retrospect but I misunderstood it. However since (unlike a parking fine where you get a ticket on the windscreen) there is a delay between violation and notification, I didn’t realise I’d breached a rule until I’d done it 20 times.

Has anyone ever been in a position like this and succeeded in having the fine reduced at all? (Bulk buy discount, ha ha)

I can’t see why they would, to be honest- seems a bit silly to expect them to give a discount to people who break rules repeatedly!

But just thought I’d ask…

Or something that makes it clear like this

@RoadSignFool is it Camden Council by any chance? Near Gospel Oak Station? If so, definitely appeal, but Camden are notorious for being stringent to the fines. There is one other angle you can pursue, if it where I think it is, and that there is so much street signage in that location that whilst driving you cannot absorb all of the signs and all of the information. (My Dad got fined there, and appealed using too much street signage and the ticket was quashed). Good luck.

There are people who appeal parking fines professionally. I had a large fine and I paid a someone to appeal it on my behalf. It was cancelled, money well spent. They use all the right terminology and know the rules inside out. This might be a good option and take the stress out of it!

Oh @RoadSignFool - wait before you refuse earlier posters help!! DH got done recently - a new London local neighbourhood reduced traffic thing (sorry, he’s checking the official wording - clean air thing?)…he wrote to H&F in appeal and they (actually can’t believe it) said ‘yeah it’s confusing, avoid it next time’!!! Can’t believe im
shocked at them being reasonable - it was a route he previously did regularly, Sat nav was not updated and actually signage is not abundantly clear it’s changed!!… if it’s H&F please confirm and can compare notes!

Oh and to be clear it wasn’t ULEZ!

I recognise where this is, I live here! It's very controversial locally! I would appeal, grovel a bit, say unfamiliar area, unfamiliar restriction type, and now that the fines are through I won't do it again. Would they please consider cancelling some of the fines because I didn't have a chance to correct my behaviour before I received multiple PCNs....etc. Don't be accusatory, just basically grovel. I'm sure they will cancel all but one. If not go to the local rag newspaper with it!

You definitely should appeal - there's no detriment at all to doing so. I appeal every pcn (I get quite a few, for parking, perils of my job) and I appeal 90%. Most get cancelled.

You write saying you now see your error, it was just that, it's not an area of London you know, you won't do it again, sorry. Ask for it to be reduced to one fine.

(Don't forget, no human has issued these fines, it's an automatic process, it's clearly ludicrous for that many to be issued to one car).

If they say no, no probs, you'll go to court. The WORST that can happen, if it goes to court and you have to pay, is that you pay exactly what you currently owe anyway. So for that amount of money, it's totally worth going through the process.

I've said yes to court 3 times, every time the fine has been cancelled before the court date.

The shape of the road sign has meaning as does the colour.

Circular road signs: Circular signs give orders. Circles with a red border tell you what you must not do (e.g. take a U-turn or don't drive a car through here). Blue circles give a positive instruction, such as ‘turn left ahead’.

This is why it didn't have a line through it - the red circle means don't do it. So if a line was through it, it would be "don't don't do it".

Triangular road signs: Triangular signs warn. (Eg hazard ahead, sharp bend, ice etc)

Rectangular road signs: Rectangular signs inform (eg directions)

I would still consider posting on Pepipoo for more technical help on exactly how/when to appeal and if you need to appeal each individual one and what you exactly need to do. £1300 is a lot of money at stake!

I tell you something else- even if I do just suck it up and pay I have to go in to the website and enter each one of the 20 PCN codes separately, and pay for each one individually, entering my card details 20 times. Talk about rubbing it in.

Oh dear I got 2 of these recently in Dulwich. I appealed but the appeal wasn’t upheld. I hope you have better luck. I think the signs are badly placed and hard to notice there

https://uk.style.yahoo.com/fury-over-crazy-rule-means-171100482.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHSwbFzpPQ61DC1P_8c9c6_x7GrZRx5UcaVj4r89yM5RjgAacZD2AnR_MXUpaeNYTO4Cck9cxTk3W-Qtc_KUsJ9NcjHry5SiC57y1IahBDFHbBdEc5Q6N6t2wQttKbgiJlTh3yy1dymFiiw03WFABDGG_TRhea-Eca3jKN0PVdX4 You are not the only one, OP!

It is Hackney, not Hammersmith & Fulham. I live in Haringey, next borough over.

Yes! That’s it. And I remember thinking “ooh, look at the pretty rainbows they’ve painted in the road!

Do you think I can appeal based on the fact that they distracted me from the signage by painting fucking rainbows on the road?

Yes! That’s it. And I remember thinking “ooh, look at the pretty rainbows they’ve painted in the road!

Do you think I can appeal based on the fact that they distracted me from the signage by painting fucking rainbows on the road?

Thanks. Why is it called PepiPoo? That’s a really cringey name.

It's named after something written on a police statement when the site was created, and is short for Perjurous Pile of Poo

I went through a new no right turn sign every day for a week. My car was a very low one and I couldn’t see it because of a bus stop. I spoke to them and paid the one fine but didn’t get charged for the other four days.

Why would anyone just suck it up
and pay it? There is nothing to lose potentially a lot to gain by trying to appeal it.

I don’t think that’s right about the worst that can happen. The fines are £130 a time, reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days. You have 28 days to appeal. The letter is not clear whether or not the final fine will be £65 or £130 if the appeal is rejected.

I believe that costs may also be payable if they take it to court and win, though court is not mentioned in the letter. They say that it first has to go to the independent adjudicator.

sheusesmagazines · Today 22:49
Seconding posting on Pepipoo!!! Don't waste your time here!

It would help though if you'd read the OP first post - this isn't a parking charge from a private company for parking incorrectly or not, but a fine from a council for driving in a LTN

From last experience (with parking) once you “appeal” the fine is stalled at that fee but it could have changed!

Can’t believe im
shocked at them being reasonable

They are making ££££ so the odd reasonable claim of getting 20 tickets on consequtive days and paying one ticket isn't going to matter to them. The point is you'll not do it again or make the same mistake

What are you talking about? It's a site for all motoring related fines

To be fair to the PP who linked to PPP (can’t bear to say the name!), it does have a section on appealing council fines as well.

I will have a look but I don’t really like the crusading “justice for motorists” tone of it all, as I don’t necessarily disagree with Councils imposing fines, or doing things like creating and enforcing school streets etc. However I do feel that being fined over a grand within the space of one week is disproportionate. Ironically, I even have a bloody electric car so if they were trying to cut down pollution they punished the ring person!