Parked wholly or partly on a cycle track or laneThe official national descriptor for code 49, as published in the Department for Transport statutory guidance list.
The letter after the number on your ticket
Codes are often written with a suffix: 49j rather than just 49. The letter narrows the allegation, and it tells you what the council actually says went wrong. These are the suffixes code 49 can carry:
| j | camera enforcement |
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 49 that case rests on:
- That the space is a cycle track or lane, with the markings or construction to show it.
- A traffic order where one is needed.
- That the vehicle stood wholly or partly on it.
Where code 49 tickets go wrong
A broken line marks an advisory lane. Whether that supports this code depends on the order behind it, so ask which they are relying on and photograph the line.
Loading exemptions often apply. Set out what you were moving and how long it took.
The code covers partly, so this is not a complete answer, but the photographs decide how much and adjudicators do notice a wheel width.
Cycle lanes stop and start, especially around junctions and bus stops. Photograph the markings either side of the vehicle.
What to gather before you write
- Photographs showing the line type and where the lane begins and ends.
- Loading paperwork if that is the reason.
- A photograph of the vehicle’s position relative to the markings.
Code 49 questions, answered
Only one wheel was over the line. Is that enough for a ticket?
Technically yes, because the code covers a vehicle parked wholly or partly on a cycle track or lane. That does not make it hopeless. The photographs decide how much, adjudicators do take a wheel width into account when weighing whether to allow an appeal, and if you were loading, the exemption may cover you outright.
What does contravention code 49 mean?
Parked wholly or partly on a cycle track or lane. In plain terms: Distinct from code 36, which is about driving in a mandatory lane. This is about leaving the vehicle there, and it covers cycle tracks set away from the carriageway as well as lanes marked within it.
How much is a code 49 penalty?
Code 49 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.
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