The rule — and the exception people forget
You must not enter a yellow box junction unless your exit is clear. If you drive in and then have to stop inside the box because traffic ahead isn’t moving, that’s the contravention.
But there is a crucial exception, straight from the Highway Code (rule 174): you may enter the box and wait when you want to turn right and are stopped only by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right. Cameras don’t always judge this well — and that’s where many tickets fall apart.
The right-turn card: if you were held in the box waiting to turn right and the only thing stopping you was oncoming traffic, you were entitled to be there. Say so plainly and point the council to rule 174.
The grounds that genuinely win
- Your exit was clear when you entered. If it was blocked afterwards by a car that stopped unexpectedly, a pedestrian, or a vehicle turning across you, you couldn’t have known — and the footage usually shows it.
- You were turning right and held up only by oncoming traffic (the rule 174 exception).
- The box markings are non-compliant — faded, wrongly sized or not laid out to the legal standard. A box that isn’t properly marked isn’t properly enforceable.
- You were forced to stop by an emergency vehicle, a breakdown ahead, or a genuine hazard.
- Signage or the camera sign was missing or unclear.
Always ask for the video. Box-junction PCNs are camera-issued, so the council holds footage of your exact movement. Request it, and watch whether your exit really was blocked before you crossed the line — that single detail decides most of these cases.
Your questions
What is the rule for a yellow box junction?
You must not enter a yellow box junction unless your exit road or lane is clear. There is one important exception: you may enter and wait in the box when you want to turn right and are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles that are also waiting to turn right. That right-turn exception is written into the Highway Code (rule 174).
Why am I suddenly getting box junction tickets?
Since June 2022, councils in England outside London have been able to apply for powers to enforce moving-traffic contraventions — including box junctions — using cameras. Many authorities switched cameras on at once, and a large share of the early tickets are issued at junctions where the box markings or the traffic flow make a fair penalty hard to justify. It is well worth checking yours rather than paying.
How do I appeal a box junction PCN?
Challenge in writing before the discount deadline and always ask the council for the video footage it relies on. Watch it frame by frame: if your exit was clear when you entered and was only blocked afterwards by something you could not predict, or if you were turning right and held up by oncoming traffic, the penalty should not stand. If the council rejects a formal challenge you can take it to the free, independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal (or London Tribunals in London).