Why you should appeal

Moving Traffic Contraventions

Moving Traffic Contraventions (MTCs) are when your car is photographed (number plates taken) going through an area where your car was not allowed to be. You will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) through the post some time after the incident, unlike a parking ticket which is put on your car immediately.

By the time you receive notification of the MTC, you may not remember anything about the incident at all. You may not know what you are supposed to have done wrong and you're unlikely to have taken pictures at the time to back up your case

Appealing

As a result, unlike a parking ticket only a small number of people appeal. Roughly 0.5% make an appeal, and of those only about 25% are successful once the appeal reaches an adjudicator. This compares to a success fate of around 56% when appealing parking tickets.

But don’t give up hope! You may have a stronger defence than you think, provided you follow the steps.

Given the major publicity, you may also get some sympathy.

What to do

Appeal your PCN! Please be aware that this website was not written by a lawyer; this is just friendly advice based on extensive research and personal experience. Some of the facts may need further checking, and there's no guarantee that you will win. Hopefully, though, this will put you in a better position than before.

And if you would like to make an appeal, click here to find out how.

The benefits

Appealing a PCN isn't just about saving money. Making an appeal:

May get your own PCN cancelled.
May help others to get their PCNs cancelled.
Will prevent the Council from benefitting by making money out of a poorly-executed change in traffic rules.
The hope is that the Council will either decide to create proper signs or will reconsider the whole traffic change if they are unable to enforce it.

Should I be concerned?

Be aware that this can be a long process, and you have to be prepared to sit it out. But don't worry about it; this is not a criminal matter and you won’t be up before the magistrates, nor will you get points on your licence.

Don’t be scared by the legal language. You can only get into trouble if you refuse to respond to the process or you refuse to pay if you get to the very end of the process and lose. Provided you respond within the time limits and stand your ground, you have a reasonable chance of success.

What does it cost?

It doesn't have to cost you anything to make an appeal. You don't have to pay legal fees or get a lawyer. You just have to be patient and diligent. Depending on the circumstances, you certainly have a chance of success.

Don’t expect any favours from the Council, though. They make a great deal of revenue from this, and letting one person off sets a precedent for letting other people off. Also, they are unlikely to admit that they have made mistakes or acted wrongly.

Let us know

Whether you are successful or unsuccessful at getting your PCN cancelled, please let us know so that we can pass the message on and help others. Together we can hold the Council to account.