Stopped on a cycle docking station parking placeThe official national descriptor for code 43, as published in the Department for Transport statutory guidance list.
What the council has to be able to show
An appeal is not an apology, it is a challenge to the council’s case. For code 43 that case rests on:
- A traffic order covering the docking station footprint.
- Markings or signage identifying it.
- That the vehicle stopped within it.
Where code 43 tickets go wrong
These get relocated, and the markings sometimes stay behind. Photograph the site: if there are no docks, ask what you were obstructing.
The bay has a defined extent. Photograph your wheels against the line.
Where the order permits loading, the usual arguments apply. Produce the delivery paperwork.
An empty dock with worn markings tells a driver nothing. Photograph what a driver would actually have seen.
What to gather before you write
- Photographs of the site showing the docks, or their absence.
- A photograph of the markings and where they end.
Code 43 questions, answered
There were no bikes and no docks, just markings. How was I to know?
You raise the point exactly as you have put it. Docking stations get relocated and the markings are not always lifted with them. Photograph the site as it was, showing no docks in place, and ask the council what the vehicle was obstructing. A bay that no longer serves any purpose is hard to defend at adjudication.
What does contravention code 43 mean?
Stopped on a cycle docking station parking place. In plain terms: The road space occupied by hire bike docks. When the docking station is empty it looks like ordinary carriageway, and that is when nearly all of these notices are issued.
How much is a code 43 penalty?
Code 43 sits in the higher band, so it carries the more expensive of the two rates that council uses. Outside London that is commonly around £70; in London it is £160 in Band A or £140 in Band B. Half is normally taken off if you pay within 14 days, and your notice states the actual figures.
Your notice is definitive. This page explains the national code. Councils use extra codes and local suffixes, and the wording printed on your own notice always takes precedence. Check the deadline on the notice before you do anything else, because the discount usually runs out after 14 days.
Other codes
01 02 05 06 12 14 16 19 21 23 24 25 26 27 30 40 46 47 62 99 04 07 08 09 10 11 20 22 35 29 31 32 33 34 36 37 38 50 51 52 53 54 81 89 92 93 95 28 41 42 43 45 48 49 55 56 57 63 18 61 58 59 67 68 All codes →