Penalty Charge Notice – Fight or Pay?

A bit of advice needed please, or at least some collective wisdom.

By all accounts I have been a bad man. I went the wrong way around a traffic sign. I can’t deny it, I have excuses but that’s all they are so won’t bother with them now, and there’s a photo of me being a bad man below.

My issue is…what have I actually done wrong and therefore what is the penalty for? I understand speeding tickets or RLJing and I understand getting fined for parking in the wrong place. Being fined for driving the wrong way round a sign seems to me just an excuse for money making. If it is a traffic calming system surely block the entrance of the gap I was driving through. The penalty is £65 if I pay soon, £135 if I wait….and that’s a lot of bike bits.

Any thoughts on this? Do I contest and if so can I on the grounds of it being a pure money-making scheme or do I suck it up?

Thanks in advance

Is your car parked on a pavement or bus lane or something’ You’ve driven through a hatched area to get where you are and completely ignored the sign that says pass on the left.
You want to contest what?
*Checks date*

Great driving skills lex.

Forget the fine, get yourself to an opticians quick.

…I’m not proud, it happened, i’m not denying it. It just seems a bit tight to me.

I was moving Don, slowly.

I was moving Don, slowly.

That’s alright then. 🙄
You’ve broken the law and you want to evade payment, pay up and benefit from lesson you’ve learnt.

I’m curious about your excuses, what’ve you got?

If a copper had seen you do it and pulled you over, most likely they would have taken a more leniant view in response to your candour and apologetic tone.

My question would be ‘what purpose is served by fining you in this instance?’ I can’t see any and think like you that it’s petty.

What offence code is on the pcn?

Oh no, rolly eyes, I don’t like rolly eyes. But DS, you say I have broken the law….really? I see far greater traffic violations each day.

Excuses, that is all they are….I doubt they’ll cut the mustard to be honest.

I was beginning to think I was alone, ta Geetee

‘what purpose is served by fining you in this instance?’

teaching a lesson for ignoring several different instructions?

What offence code is on the pcn?

38JL – Failing to comply with a sign indicating that vehicular traffic must pass to the specified side of the sign.

Oh no, rolly eyes, I don’t like rolly eyes. But DS, you say I have broken the law….really? I see far greater traffic violations each day.

You want to what? Bust me for selling drugs to kids? But there’s murderers out there!

You see that big blue sign on the post (and the smaller ones on the bollards)

That’s an order which you have ignored.

Essentially you’ve driven over the pavement, had there been a child(‘s face) walking across not expecting a car to drive through and therefore not looking then the outcome could have been worse.

You made a mistake, pay up and learn from it.

teaching a lesson for ignoring several different instructions?

And yet, quite clearly, the OP is not guilty of any of these things. He made a mistake, something which we all do from time to time.

He knows he made a mistake, knows it’s wrong and likely didn’t do it deliberately.

So, again, what purpose is being served by imposing the fine?

I think the authorities should do more to prevent people abusing disabled parking spots – something that does actually have a negative impact on people.

But DS, you say I have broken the law….really? I see far greater traffic violations each day.

Are you saying that two wrongs make a right?
Are you saying that you should get off lightly because there are much worse traffic violations are being committed?
Yes officer, I know I stabbed him, but come on! There are people being killed with guns everyday. Why aren’t you concentrating on the real criminals???
Your not actually being serious, are you?

had there been a child(‘s face) walking across not expecting a car to drive through and therefore not looking then the outcome could have been worse.

Oh god, why hadn’t anyone thought of the children yet!?!? 😯

well…I am being serious that I think it’s tight and petty. That particular point as pointed out by you and RM is weak, I agree.

And yet, quite clearly, the OP Bob Diamond is not guilty of any of these things. He made a mistake, something which we all do from time to time.

😆

And yet, quite clearly, the OP is not guilty of any of these things. He made a mistake, something which we all do from time to time.

He knows he made a mistake, knows it’s wrong and likely didn’t do it deliberately.

So, again, what purpose is being served by imposing the fine?

Never once have I made a mistake which saw me driving on the chuffing pavement!

My point still stands. Fine is a reminder to pay more attention, follow signage and don’t drive on pavements

Is that the best quality photo they have?
I’d be requesting something a bit sharper, so that you could determine that it was your vehicle rather than any number of similar dark-coloured hatchbacks.
It’s entirely feasible that someone else had a brainfart just as you did, camera was off when you erred but on when they did, and you’re paying the penalty for someone else’s mistake.

well…I am being serious that I think it’s tight and petty

Why..?

Why..?

Because it’s ME, and it’s only other people who drive badly and if they were taken off the road, my life would be much easier… 8)

it’s only other people who drive badly and if they were taken off the road, my life would be much easier…

like the OP then? 😉

Why..?

Because it serves no useful purpose. A fine is a deterent only if the offender wanted to offend and intends to do it again.

This is a fine for making a simple harmless (in this case) mistake – it’s punative for the sake of being punative. No one was in danger and the OP appears to have no intention of doing it again (largely because he didn’t intend to do it in the first place).

Because it serves no useful purpose. A fine is a deterent only if the offender wanted to offend and intends to do it again.

This is a fine for making a simple harmless (in this case) mistake – it’s punative for the sake of being punative. No one was in danger and the OP appears to have no intention of doing it again (largely because he didn’t intend to do it in the first place).

What about people who hit and kill cyclists in their cars? They don’t intend to do it (I hope), and they don’t intend to do it again, it’s just a mistake… So should they not be punished?

A fine is a deterent only if the offender wanted to offend and intends to do it again.

This is a fine for making a simple harmless (in this case) mistake – it’s punative for the sake of being punative. No one was in danger and the OP appears to have no intention of doing it again (largely because he didn’t intend to do it in the first place).

balls. The fine serves as a reminder to pay some bloomin’ attention! Or are all “Driving without Undue Care and Attention” fines/points a waste of time?

Because it serves no useful purpose. A fine is a deterent only if the offender wanted to offend and intends to do it again.

😆

No offence in driving through a hatched area DonSimon.

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=47150&mode=threaded&pid=423372

Flying Ox…definitely my car, they sent a few other incriminating photos.

Not sure I am on to a winner here. Geetee seems to understand my point. I am not trying to say I didn’t do anything wrong. I am saying that the particular road feature appears to be a trap for money-making.

Not read the other comments, so apologies if someone has already said this.

The camera is there to stop lorries and other big stuff except buses. The bit where you’re meant to go is narrow enough just for cars. You’re not a lorry, it was just a mistake.

I’d have a word and see what they say.

Jesus weeping christ sometimes the metal articulation of people on this site makes my bloody ears bleed.

You bunch of freakin literalists.

Scenario One – the OP is pulled by a copper having committed the terrible fellony. He’s been on his phone, driving at a speed deeply innapropriate for the conditions/environment and his manner is dimissive and curt.

Fine is totally appropriate in this case.

Scenario Two – the OP is pulled by the copper and is deeply apologetic, explaining that he’s lost/new to the area/made a mistake but didn’t put anyone’s life at risk.

Copper explains the error, outlines why it could have been dangerous and the OP accepts this and promises to be more vigilant in future. OP goes on his way and everyone is safe and happy.

It’s shades of grey folks. It’s called NUANCE.

I don’t agree the feature is there just to make money – the signage and road markings are really very clear. Mistake or not, you were caught and have been fined. No amount of arguing will change the outcome so pay up and move on.

He didn’t get pulled by a copper though, so none of that happened. For all we know he would’ve told the copper to “**** OFF” then pulled a gun on him 😉

Scenario Two – the OP is pulled by the copper and is deeply apologetic, explaining that he’s lost/new to the area/made a mistake but didn’t put anyone’s life at risk.

Copper explains the error, outlines why it could have been dangerous and the OP accepts this and promises to be more vigilant in future. OP goes on his way and everyone is safe and happy.
You forgot to include the driver promising not to do it again and plod being able to see far enough into the future to be able to believe him. 😆

bombers and shoe weeing only legend

He didn’t get pulled by a copper though, so none of that happened.

Which is my point – the use of cameras to impose fines with impunity (impunity that is to the nuanced situation I described above) cannot be argued to serve the public good 100% of the time. A lot of fines imposed this way, though entirely sanctionable by the rules, don’t serve any purpose other than to raise money.

Pay the fine.

If I was in charge you’d have lost your licence for what can only be seen as a complete disregard for the rules of the road or a complete incomprehension. Both as bad as each other.

The rules of the road are clearly explained – I suggest you have a read of the highway code to refresh your memory. If you don’t like the rules as they are set out then send your licence back to the DVLA in protest.

I am saying that the particular road feature appears to be a trap for money-making.

Balls.

If it was it would make very little.

Most people realise that the pointy end of an arrow is the business end.

And most people are paying enought attention when driving to notice where they are.