Failing to comply with a sign indicating a prohibited turn
Contravention code 50:
Failing to comply with a sign indicating a prohibited turn.
:
l) no left turn
r) no right turn
u) no U turn
Sample signs:
50l) No left turn for vehicular traffic.
50r) No right turn for vehicular traffic.
50u) No U-turns for vehicular traffic.
How to have your penalty charge notice (PCN) for this moving traffic contravention cancelled.
Before checking the specific information relating to this contravention you will need to check the following general information.
General advice for all moving traffic contraventions
What a penalty charge notice (PCN) must contain
Specific Advice for this moving traffic contravention.
You should remember that the contravention is failing to comply with a sign indicating a prohibited manoeuvre and not making a prohibited manoeuvre. The authority will need to demonstrate evidence of before, during and after the contravention. Specifically the vehicle approaching the sign, making a prohibited manoeuvre and continuing. In one case the council provided still photographs and a video but no, no right turn signs were actually shown. You can usually view the video clip and if this does not show you actually passing a sign there is no way that an adjudicator will find in the councils favour as the council must prove the offence.
Were the signs obscured by other signage, were there signs on both sides of the road,
were the signs placed far enough in advance of the prohibited turn to allow you ample notice, did you actually pass a sign?
The prohibited turn sign must be at the actual prohibited turn. It is not sufficient to install a prohibited turn sign that relates to other prohibited turns after the sign. There must be a sign at each prohibited turn or at regular intervals in the case of no u turn signs where there are no u turns allowed along an entire stretch of the road. If a U turn applies for some distance then some councils put an additional plate underneath stating for example “for 250 yards” The 1986 traffic manual regulations suggests no more than each 100 meters.
Did you actually enter the road to which the prohibited turn sign related, for example quite often there is a no right turn but motorists make a u turn but in order to do so they may touch the entrance to the road on the right.. A no u turn is not a no right turn and vica versa In one case the adjudicator found against the council as they could not show that the vehicle actually passed the building line of the road on the right. Although it was obvious that the car was going to pass the building line there was no evidence of this provided by the council.
The contravention code is contravention code 50 but there are three possible contraventions within this code. No left turn no right turn and no u turn. One adjudicator allowed an appeal as the penalty charge notice stated “failing to comply with a sign indicating no left/right/u turn”. The council had standardised their penalty charge notices for this contravention. However the adjudicators stated “this is clearly void for uncertainty and accordingly this appeal must be allowed” In other adjudications they have said the PCN was void for duplicity or in the alternative uncertainty. If your pcn was not specific as to which of the 3 prohibited manoeuvres you made then you should appeal as you may have not complied with one of the signs but surely not all three!.
Signs indicating prohibited signs at traffic lights should be next to the green light at the traffic lights and on both sides of the road.
Did the PCN which you received state the exact road to which you made an illegal turn and is the manoeuvre clear. In one case an appeal was upheld because the PCN stated that the appellant turned left in Monsorat road rather than left into Monsorat road.
Does the contravention stated on the PCN match the prohibited manoeuvre that you made. For example does it state no left turn when actually you made a right turn.
Many local authorities are now enforcing No-Turn offences. This includes no right turn no left turn and no u turn. The enforcement is carried out using CCTV cameras.
In 2005 the Local Taxi trade newspaper had a large picture of Kingsway in Camden in Central London where many signs were visible except a no U-turn sign which was hidden behind a set of traffic lights. As we understand it hundreds of taxis received £100 Penalty charge notices (PCN’s) because they did not see the sign. The sign has since been repositioned but Camden Council refused to refund motorists who had paid the fines.
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