Differential charging for penalty charge notices

Differential charging for penalty charge notices

With effect from the 1st July, 2007 there has been a two-tiered approach to the cost of a penalty charge notices.

Since this date, parking penalties (PCNs) issued in London have reflected the seriousness of the contravention. This change followed an extensive consultation exercise carried out by  London Councils  with interested parties, and has the required approval of the  Mayor of London  and the Secretary of State.

This approach has been designed to impose a higher penalty on those who commit a serious parking, bus lane or moving traffic contravention, compared to drivers who may have made a genuine mistake or committed a contravention that has less serious implications for other road users.

More serious contravention examples

£120 (£60 if paid within 14 days from the date of issue) for PCNs issued from 01/07/07 up to and including 14/04/11

£130 (£65 if paid within 14 days from the date of issue) for PCNs issued from 15/04/11 onwards

• Parking in a suspended parking bay or parking in a disabled bay without a valid Blue Badge; 
• Stopping on a pedestrian crossing area that is marked with white zig-zag markings, or on a school keep clear marking; 
• Parking or loading/unloading where these activities are prohibited (i.e. on yellow lines with loading restrictions); 
• Any moving traffic contravention, for example driving or parking in a bus lane, stopping in box junctions, driving the wrong way in a one-way street, not complying with a banned turn or directional traffic sign, or; 
• Parking without displaying a valid permit or pay and display ticket in a shared permit/pay and display bay – NB. Drivers who received a penalty for this reason on or before 14/04/11, and who can verify that they were visiting a resident of this Borough at the time and made a genuine attempt to park legally, may be eligible for the lower rate penalty. Please see How to apply for lower rate penalty for further information.               

Less serious contravention examples

£80 (£40 if paid within 14 days from the date of issue) for PCNs issued from 01/07/07 onwards 

• Parking after the expiry of a pay and display ticket; 
• Parking for longer than the maximum permitted time in a parking bay;
• Parking without clearly displaying a pay and display ticket in a pay and display car park;
• Not parking correctly within the parking bay markings.               

Other London-wide changes (effective 01/07/07) include the following: - 

• The cost to release your car from the car pound is £200 (in addition to the penalty charge);
• The cost of storage of your vehicle in the car pound is £40 per day (or part day); and
• The cost of disposing of your vehicle is £70.