Traffic fines
Received a penalty charge notice from your local council for a bus lane, box junction, contraflow or other moving traffic contravention, and wondering why it isn't the police writing to you? These are civil penalties, not criminal prosecutions, and many are successfully challenged. We check the signage, the notice and the camera evidence before you pay a penny.
Start my case£29 including VAT, shown before you pay.
28 days to make representations
Independent tribunal appeal
Signage rules must be followed
A civil, not criminal, penalty
Bus lane and box junction PCNs are issued by local councils under the Traffic Management Act 2004 and, outside London, the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2022. Many councils only gained these camera powers recently, which is why it's often a council logo, not a police one, on the envelope.
No penalty points
A civil moving traffic PCN carries a financial penalty only, typically discounted for early payment, and never goes on your driving licence. Genuinely criminal moving offences prosecuted by the police, such as careless driving, are a separate matter and outside what this service covers.
Camera, not officer, evidence
Almost all of these contraventions are detected by ANPR cameras rather than an officer at the roadside. The case against you rests entirely on the accuracy of a camera image, a timestamp and a plate read, all of which can be checked and, where flawed, challenged.
Different from parking & speeding
A parking charge concerns where a vehicle was left; a speeding offence concerns how fast it was driven. A moving traffic contravention concerns the manoeuvre itself, entering a bus lane, a yellow box or a banned turn, while the vehicle was moving through a junction or road layout.
Councils have to get the basics right before a moving traffic penalty is enforceable. In our experience, a large proportion of contested notices fail on signage or procedure alone.
Deadlines that matter
Exact deadlines vary by council and case type. Don't wait to find out. Start your case today.
Is a bus lane or box junction fine a criminal offence?
No. Councils enforce these under civil law, not criminal law. The outcome is a financial penalty, never a criminal record. This covers civil PCN-style enforcement only; genuinely running a red light is normally treated by the police as a separate criminal matter and isn't part of this service.
Can this kind of ticket give me penalty points?
No. Civil moving traffic PCNs cannot add points to your licence, however many you receive. Points only apply to offences prosecuted by the police, such as speeding or careless driving. If you're unsure which type of letter you have, tell us when you register and we'll confirm.
How do I challenge an ANPR camera reading?
We request the evidential images, the camera's type-approval details and its certificate of calibration. Common successful grounds include a similar-looking plate being misread, poor image quality obscuring a character, or the device not being properly certified at the time of the alleged contravention.
What if I didn't realise the road layout had changed?
New or altered bus lanes, box junctions and low-traffic schemes must be signed in line with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, including adequate advance warning. Missing, obscured or non-compliant signage when the layout changed is a strong, common ground for challenge. We check this on every case.
Wrong signage, a misread plate or a late notice can all be grounds to get it cancelled. Let us take a look.
Start my case