Frequently asked questions

Penalty charge notices (PCNs)
What is the difference between a parking contravention PCN, a bus lane contravention PCN and a moving traffic contravention PCN?
How many PCNs were issued in the borough in financial year 2004/2005?
How much money does the council make from PCNs?
What happens to the money made from PCNs? 
At what times does the overnight waiting ban apply?

Civil Enforcement Officers  (CEOs)
What are working the hours of CEOs?   
Do CEOs wear a uniform?
What's the difference between CEOs and traffic wardens?
How are CEOs trained?
Do CEOs get paid according to how many tickets they issue?   

Bus lane contraventions 
How can I get more pictures of my vehicle, the ones I have are not clear?   
Can I request to view the footage of my vehicle in the bus lane?
How do I know I’m going into a bus lane?
Is the bus stop part of the bus lane?
What are the hours of operations of the bus lanes in Ealing borough?
Are bus lanes enforced on bank holidays?
Can I drive in the bus lanes if I’m a mini cab driver?
What are the enforcement times of bus lanes?
Where are the cameras in bus lanes?

Moving traffic contraventions  
Are there any new signs to look out for?
Why was there no sign saying CCTV was in operation?
Why are there are no times listed below signs?
How can I get more pictures of my vehicle the ones I have are not clear?
Can I request to view the footage of my vehicle whilst doing the contravention?
Where are the cameras?
Why are there no signs to indicate that an enforcement could take place at yellow box junctions for example?
Why is there no enforcement notice for a moving traffic contravention?

Penalty charge notices (PCNs)     
What is the difference between a parking PCN, a bus lane PCN and a moving traffic contravention PCN?  
A parking PCN is issued by a civil enforcement officer on the street or in off street car parks for various contraventions (pdf). A parking contravention can also be observed via CCTV, and the PCN served by first class post.

A bus lane PCN is issued for being in a bus lane during controlled hours. This PCN would have been observed by CCTV, and would be sent out in the post with photos of your vehicle committing the contravention.

A moving traffic contravention PCN is issued for ignoring road signs that are part of the Highway Code including stopping in a yellow box junction. This PCN would also be observed by using CCTV and would be sent out in the post with photos of your vehicle committing the contravention.

How many PCNs were issued in the borough in financial year 2006/2007?  
The figures for the number of parking tickets issued in Ealing borough are as follows: 

How much money does the council make from PCNs?  
The table below shows the total amounts raised through parking charges and fines, both net and gross, for the last two years. The figures also include a breakdown of how this money is divided between revenue from parking charges, fines and any council owned car parks:

What happens to the money made from PCNs?
It is ring-fenced back into council transport related services. 

At what times does the overnight waiting ban apply?
The overnight waiting ban is to restrict any vehicles over five tonnes in weight from parking in certain residential streets from 6.30pm to 8am.

Civil enforcement officers (CEOs)
What are working the hours of CEOs? 
CEOs work 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 

Do CEOs wear a uniform?
All CEOs have a standard uniform which they must wear at all times.

What's the difference between CEOs and traffic wardens?       
CEOs work for local authorities, traffic wardens work for the Metropolitan Police.

How are CEOs trained?    
CEOs have to go on a two week Transport for London (TfL) certified training course. After which they will work for two weeks out on-street with a senior CEO.

Do CEOs get paid according to how many tickets they issue?  
A CEO's wage is not commission based.

Bus lane contraventions
How can I get more pictures of my vehicle, the ones I have are not clear?      
You may request pictures at any stage of your PCN by contacting parking services.

Can I request to view the footage of my vehicle in the bus lane?      
You may view the video but all requests must be made in writing. Video viewings are carried out at council premises.

How do I know I’m going into a bus lane?      
There are signs located at the start and throughout the bus lanes along with white lines clearly separating the bus lane from the highway.

Is the bus stop part of the bus lane?   
No it is not, however if the bus stop sits within the bus lane both the bus land and bus stop regulations are applicable.

What are the hours of operations of the bus lanes in Ealing borough?      
A table (pdf) of the operation details of the bus lanes in Ealing is available to download.

Are bus lanes enforced on bank holidays?
Bus lanes are enforced on all days including bank holidays and weekends (if the time plate says the restrictions apply on weekends).

Can I drive in the bus lanes if I’m a mini cab driver?
No you cannot. Only licensed London taxis are permitted to drive in the bus lanes.

What are the enforcement times of bus lanes?
Each bus lane has the operating times on sign posts positioned by the bus lanes.

Where are the cameras in bus lanes?   
There are road side cameras by bus lanes throughout the borough. These record video footage and not photographic stills.

Moving traffic
Are there any new signs to look out for?   
No. These signs are well known to all drivers and are part of the Highway Code.

Why was there no sign saying CCTV was in operation?   
No signs need to be sited at the location. However there are traffic enforcement signs at the entrances to the borough to inform the public.

Why are there are no times listed below signs?   
Most traffic restrictions are enforceable at any time.

How can I get more pictures of my vehicle the ones I have are not clear?   
You may request pictures at any stage of your PCN by contacting parking services.

Can I request to view the footage of my vehicle whilst doing the contravention?   
You may view the video but all requests must be made in writing. Video viewings are carried out at council premises.

What is a moving traffic contravention?   
Moving traffic contraventions are committed as a result of people ignoring road signs/markings which leads to unneccesary congestion. Examples of moving traffic contraventions are sitting in a yellow box junction or ignoring no entry, keep left, no right turn signs.

How do you capture moving traffic contraventions?
There are road side cameras which record video footage of the contravention. The operators can record from within an enforcement vehicle or in some cases from an enforcement control room. Some of the enforcement vehicles are also fitted with CCTV cameras.

Where are the cameras?  
Cameras are located at various locations throughout the borough. Some of the cameras are permanently fixed, whereas others can be re-deployed to different locations. Some of our enforcement vehicles also have in-built cameras.

Why are there no signs to indicate that enforcement could take place at yellow box junctions for example?  
There are signs at the entrance of the borough to say that there are enforcement cameras. Local media were made aware when traffic enforcement became decriminalised in 2004 and advertisements were issued.

Why is there no enforcement notice for a moving traffic contravention?
There are directives issued by  London Councils  as per the  London Local Authorities Acts and the  Traffic Mangement Act which states how PCNs are governed. There is no informal stage in relation to moving traffic contraventions, therefore, the first notification you will receive is the formal PCN.

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