Ticketfighter provides information to help UK motorists fight unfairly issued parking tickets, bus lane, yellow box junction and moving traffic tickets. Information on the regulations which some councils would rather you didn't know. Is the information 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!

After experiencing the immense frustration of dealing with inept, money grabbing local authorities when trying to appeal invalid tickets for myself and friends, I thought enough is enough. "Get a man off a ticket and you help him him for a day. Teach a man the law and you help him for a lifetime". And so Ticketfighter was born! When even the head of the traffic appeals service in England says that authorities are taking the p*ss (in so many words) then you know it's bad!

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 as well as previous adjudications so you can understand and appeal with confidence.

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How can I appeal my ticket, it seems valid?

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 information 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. In my experience the majority of authorities screw up at least one of their notices, they just can't seem to follow the law.

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. They routinely reject valid appeals with standard patronising letters.

• 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.

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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 England. The Useful Links section contains links to all relevant legislation broken down by country.