Parking and Loading

Bus Lanes

Yellow Box Junctions

Moving Traffic Offences

Ticketfighter provides information to help UK motorists fight unfairly issued parking, bus lane, yellow box junction and moving traffic offence tickets. Information on the regulations which some councils would rather you didn't know. Is the wording on the ticket legal? Do the signs and roadmarkings conform with the regulations? Use this site to check everything complies with the law. If it doesn't, don't pay up Appeal !

Every year thousands of people pay parking tickets and increasingly bus lane and yellow box junction tickets that they need not. They are unaware of the complex laws and regulations which govern the enforcement of restrictions which authorities must adhere to. Any minor discrepancy such as unclear signage could be grounds to appeal and result in the ticket being cancelled.   Ticketfighter sets out in simple terms the law, links to and quotes the actual regulations so you can understand and appeal with confidence.

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How can I appeal a ticket?

There are 3 main ways you can fight a ticket:

1. Signs and roadmarkings

All signs and roadmarkings must conform with legislation know as the 'Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions' (TSRGD) 2002. Most of this site is based on this and the Signs Regulations page explains how they work and has quick links for easier navigation than the official site.

2. The Ticket and Notices

The wording on Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) and way they are issued must conform with legislation. This also applies to subsequent notices (such as the notice to owner). For each type of offence (parking, bus lanes etc) there is different legislation and this is summarised under each section in the 'Tickets and Notices' page.

3. Traffic Orders

Most restrictions must be accompanied by a 'traffic order' to be legally enforceable. The order specifies the exact location and times of operation of the restriction. Without this, a yellow line on the road for example is meaningless. By law the traffic order must be made viewable to the public, yet most people are unaware they even exist. Click here for more information on Traffic Orders.

Go through this website and check that everything to do with your ticket complies with the regulations. If anything does not, follow the Tips for Appealing.

Why has parking enforcement become such a big issue?

The enforcement of parking and more recently bus lanes and yellow boxes has become more prevalent since it was decriminalised. This means the power to issue tickets (Penalty Charge Notices) is transferred from the Police to local authorities. All the 33 London Boroughs and many authorities outside London are covered by this type of enforcement. 

The main problems associated with this are:

• The enforcement process is carried out by civilians, often with little training or knowledge of the regulations. The turnover rate for many parking attendants is high and they are often under pressure to hit quotas and targets.

• The revenue from tickets is kept by the local authority, providing a financial incentive to issue more tickets

• Whilst motorists who fall foul of the rules are of course punished harshly with £120 fines, authorities who don't adhere to the law when carrying out enforcement are not fined or punished. Indeed there if a financial incentive for them to break the rules as only a very small proportion of motorists appeal.

As a result of this many motorists have found themselves suffering injustice and it's a subject which stirs a lot of passion.

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Why Appeal?

Put simply, to save money! Some people also appeal as a protest against unfair restrictions and over zealous enforcement. Of course everyone should avoid getting a ticket if possible. However there are many situations where circumstances result in an unfair ticket. Missing or confusing signs, dishonest parking attendants, or returning to the vehicle one minute after the meter runs out. This can result in a £120 fine which most people consider to be disproportionate and parking attendants are increasingly not using discretion when issuing tickets.  It's time to fight back and not allow the councils any 'discretion' either if they don't adhere to the law!

In London during 2004/5, figures from the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service show that 63% of parking appeals to them were successful. However this only represents a small fraction of the number of tickets issued. Don't bother paying for information from other sites, Ticketfighter provides FREE information to help you mount a successful appeal.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

While devolution may be great for national pride, in terms of legislation, it has created a wealth of complication and bureaucracy. Older acts like the Road Traffic Act 1991 apply to Britain, but most new legislation applies to either England, Scotland, Wales or England and Wales.

However when it comes to signs and roadmarkings, the TSRGD applies to England, Scotland and Wales. With the exception of this, the rest of the information on this website is primarily based on London and England. The aim is to update the site to include all areas in future. In the mean time, the Useful Links section contains links to all relevant legislation broken down by country.