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#Post#: 130184--------------------------------------------------
Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: PBFTLA
Date: September 11, 2026, 8:04 am
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Hello all
I received a PCN for parking in a designated police bay and
would be grateful for any help and advice you can give please.
York Road is a short dead end road and I pulled into the road,
which I know to be resident and pay & display. As I drove
further into the road a vehicle pulled out of the bay I'd parked
in so I reversed back into that bay. When doing so I did not
notice the faded lines dividing the resident bays and the police
bays. Just for the record I am not a resident and was using my
blue badge which is allowed in resident bays, I'm aware they
cannot be used in a Police bay and would never have parked there
had I realised it was so.
I submitted my initial which was refused by the council, no
surprise!
My grounds were two fold:
1. The tarmac lacks the mandatory "POLICE" or "POLICE VEHICLES
ONLY" road legend on the road itself;
2. Where the bays change from resident to the designated police
vehicle bay the lineage on the tarmac has faded and cannot
clearly be seen, I certainly never saw it!
Regards point 1, hands up, I got this from an AI search and have
looked and found legislation that states the bays need to be
signposted but cannot find anything that states specifically
that the road markings are also a requirement. so if anyone
could point me in the right direction that would be great.
This is the wording of the appeal I put in:
I am writing to formally challenge the above-mentioned Penalty
Charge Notice on the grounds that the alleged contravention did
not occur due to non-compliant and entirely missing road
markings. On 21/08/26, my vehicle was issued a PCN for being
parked in a designated police vehicle bay. However, there are
absolutely no road markings at this location to designate or
delimit a police parking place. The tarmac lacks the mandatory
"POLICE" or "POLICE VEHICLES ONLY" road legend required by the
Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD). Where
the bays change from resident to the designated police vehicle
bay the lineage on the tarmac has faded and cannot be seen, as
shown in the attached photo. Because the road surface completely
lacks these mandatory markings, the restriction is entirely
unidentifiable on the ground, meaning it is legally
unenforceable. I have attached photographic evidence clearly
showing the unmarked stretch of road where my vehicle was
parked. Further, I was visiting Hounslow Police Station for a 1
hour period and specifically asked where I could park with a
Blue Badge and I was told that I could park in York Road for
that specific time period. Given the complete absence of the
required statutory road markings (both the missing and the faded
markings) and what the Police told me as detailed above, I
request that this Penalty Charge Notice be cancelled
immediately.
Thanks all
HTML https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/i02t8izm1mbncf2gqqf8z/Hounslow-pcn-redacted-August2026.pdf?rlkey=thodzrq1wmbv81ep15attxjsh&st=08zptzk8&dl=0
HTML https://photos.app.goo.gl/NzcJrsGym81f9VuXA
#Post#: 130186--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: PBFTLA
Date: September 11, 2026, 9:05 am
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Sorry I had not added the zoomed in photo of the faded line:
HTML https://photos.app.goo.gl/fEuis4udydBVJcan8
#Post#: 130188--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: catnip
Date: September 11, 2026, 9:10 am
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Please post a GSV of the location as well as the Council photos.
#Post#: 130193--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: tincombe
Date: September 11, 2026, 10:04 am
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And reveal all info in the PCN pl, there's no point in hiding
your VRM, dates and times and PCN number.
#Post#: 130200--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: PBFTLA
Date: September 11, 2026, 11:03 am
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Thanks for you replies, all below.
Original PCN:
HTML https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4nbyzg4eoj53pgrn4eyh7/Hounslow-pcnAugust2026.pdf?rlkey=assnxj60b61stpoidn4428lve&st=ibg4ai8e&dl=0
PCN Photos, although the separation cannot be seen:
HTML https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zr0pixmhrebo0fehy9fya/Hounslow-PCN-Photos.png?rlkey=2xnh0i6ypswd7ze1m8yemwq1g&st=tjczgqty&dl=0
GSV, although the lines no longer look like this and there is a
van parked over the separation between resident and police bays:
HTML https://maps.app.goo.gl/3NkD5KXJtrsfpH3Q6
#Post#: 130217--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: Hippocrates
Date: September 11, 2026, 5:09 pm
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Website is wanting re general box/no grounds.
#Post#: 130237--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: PBFTLA
Date: September 12, 2026, 5:18 am
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Sorry [member=24]Hippocrates[/member] I'm not sure what you mean
by this
#Post#: 130250--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: tincombe
Date: September 12, 2026, 7:10 am
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Your account is not consistent with the photos which show you
parked in the first bay of the 'police only' parking place,
which is the first parking place in the road. Your nearest
traffic sign was the black on yellow 'no stopping' sign. The
resident's bay sign was in a different bay completely. Your
argument as currently structured won't win IMO.
A 'police only' sign, whether no waiting or no stopping, is a
permitted variant of the 'taxis only' sign. ALL other elements
of a 'taxis only' bay remain i.e. the broad yellow line(if no
stopping, as here) and yellow road markings to replace normal
white when the bay is reserved 24/7, as here. As you now know,
the road marking 'POLICE..' is optional.
In your photos, I can see the broad line and the road markings,
but neither appears to be yellow. Look at GSV and you will see
the Sept. 2009 version of the markings, all pristine yellow.
Today's pale, literally, in comparison.
#Post#: 130259--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: PBFTLA
Date: September 12, 2026, 8:28 am
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Thank you [member=7970]tincombe[/member] for your detailed
reply, it is much appreciated.
With regards to my account not being consistent maybe I did not
word it very well but i think it is. What I meant is that I
pulled in and drove past the bay I finally parked in, then as I
drove down the road there were no other spaces and as I reversed
back out a vehicle vacated the space I ended up parking in. Hope
that makes it clearer.
In your opinion and anyone else's if they would care to give
them, would I have any chance of winning on the basis that the
line has faded? Unfortunately I think they could argue it is
still yellow, just a very dull shade!
And is there any argument regarding the white lines dividing the
Police & Resident bays being very faded?
#Post#: 130261--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hounslow pcn - Contravention Code 42 parking in designated
police bay
DIR By: PBFTLA
Date: September 12, 2026, 8:31 am
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Further to the above I had not added the council reply to my
appeal:
HTML https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/aku1anpj1m8nn6yt4i2rp/Hounslow-PCN-appeal-rejection.docx?rlkey=mgznggskuoanlbt5h4zl4lmga&st=fotk5pyd&dl=0
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