FOI request detail

More detail about driver complaints after a PCN charge for ULEZ use

Request ID: FOI-1485-1920
Date published: 17 September 2019

You asked

I wish to make a FOI request which follows on from FOI-0715-1920. This disclosed the number of 58,345 drivers issued with PCN’s in only 29 days, resulting from none payment of the new U.L.E. Zone charge. 1. How many drivers issued with PCN’s (resulting from driving through a U.L.E. Zone) have filed a complaint about the lack of CLEAR or EASILY RECOGNISABLE and or DESTINCTIVE SIGNAGE, WARNING THEM of ULEZ CHARGES AHEAD? 2. As NOT being aware of the ULEZ charges is NOT AN ACCEPTABLE REASON to appeal against this type of PCN! So how many road users have contacted TFL to complain about not being aware of travelling through the ULE zone? 3. Does any information of substance (about the TFL ULE Zone) appear in recent editions of the Highway Code or Know Your Traffic Signs? (publications pre 2019 haven’t any!) 4. Do any questions regarding the TFL ULE Zone appear in the bank of Driver and Standards Agency, Official Theory Test questions? New drivers! – I suppose they’ll learn the HARD WAY about a ULEZ, just as 1000’s of other qualified drivers have already done so. The reason for all these questions appear to suggest that something needs to be done to make drivers more aware of the possible charges using this zones! It’s NOT ACCEPTABLE to have no nationally recognised sign for a ULEZ! And definitely NOT ACCEPTABLE that the first you know of a ULEZ is when a PCN with a hefty fine lands on your door mat!!

We answered

Our ref: FOI-1485-1920/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 19 August 2019 asking for information about ULEZ.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.

1. How many drivers issued with PCN’s (resulting from driving through a U.L.E. Zone) have filed a complaint about the lack of CLEAR or EASILY RECOGNISABLE and or DESTINCTIVE SIGNAGE, WARNING THEM of ULEZ CHARGES AHEAD?

2. As NOT being aware of the ULEZ charges is NOT AN ACCEPTABLE REASON to appeal against this type of PCN! So how many road users have contacted TFL to complain about not being aware of travelling through the ULE zone?

I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. However, to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with requests if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. In this instance, we estimate that the time required to answer your request would exceed 18 hours which, at £25 per hour (the rate stipulated by the Regulations), exceeds the ‘appropriate limit’.

There is no requirement for us to record this. We would therefore need to manually read every complaint in order to check and compile the information you have requested.

To help bring the cost of responding to your requests within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider refining your requests to concentrate on matters which are important to you.

Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, TfL does not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request. If you have specific questions relating to these topics we may be more easily able to respond to these than to a request for any information held.

3. Does any information of substance (about the TFL ULE Zone) appear in recent editions of the Highway Code or Know Your Traffic Signs? (publications pre 2019 haven’t any!)

4. Do any questions regarding the TFL ULE Zone appear in the bank of Driver and Standards Agency, Official Theory Test questions? New drivers! – I suppose they’ll learn the HARD WAY about a ULEZ, just as 1000’s of other qualified drivers have already done so.

No, the signs are too new and we don’t control those publications. The Department for Transport tend to take the view that they would use those publications mainly for signs and rules that are widely experienced across the UK.  Special signs used in a local context are not placed in these publications.

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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