Here we present a guide to beating invalid tickets. However, while motorists have won their appeals using all of the arguments below, it must be emphasised that getting the ticket overturned on any of these grounds is not automatic — you will still have to argue your case in front of the adjudicator.

The ticket

Is the description of your vehicle on the ticket correct? Are the date, time and exact location of the violation correct? If not, the fine could be invalid.

CPZ signs

Many towns now have controlled parking zones (CPZs), typically covering much of the town centre. There should be signs on every road entering the zone giving the hours during which parking restrictions are in place. Each single yellow line inside the zone does not need to have its own sign. However, if you have received a ticket on a single yellow line in a CPZ you should check whether there was an entry sign on both sides of the road as you drove into the zone. Several motorists have successfully used this as grounds that they weren’t aware of the restrictions. Similarly, if any CPZ signs close to where you parked are faded, obscured by foliage or difficult to read you could prove that you couldn’t be expected to know the restrictions.

Parking bay signs

Inside parking bays there should be enough signs informing motorists of the regulations. Within a bay, there should be one sign every 30 metres and a sign five metres from each end. If the bay is less than 30 metres long, there should be one sign, centrally located. Jeffrey Levy used this as the basis for his challenge to Westminster council last summer after his car was towed away from a residents’ bay. He had parked towards the middle of a bay which was more than 50 metres long, and having walked to the end of the bay could not find a parking sign. The council argued that the rules governing the frequency of traffic signs were advisory rather than mandatory, but the adjudicator found in favour of the motorist.

Single yellows

If the area is not a CPZ, there should be a sign on every lamppost along a stretch of yellow line. If there are no lampposts, or the lampposts are more than 60 metres apart, there should be additional posts to mount the signs on.

Splitter signs

Where one restriction ends and another begins, there must be a sign to state this, or motorists can claim they were unsure of the rules. For example, in one direction the restrictions might forbid waiting between 8am and 6.30pm from Monday to Saturday, while in the other it could extend to 8pm. If there is no splitter sign between the two you can make an appeal.

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