FOI request detail

Congestion Charging fines on Saturdays and Sundays

Request ID: FOI-2347-2122
Date published: 11 February 2022

You asked

How many road users were issued with Penalty Charge Notices in 2020 and 2021 for failing to pay the Congestion Charge on a Saturday or a Sunday? How many people issued with Penalty Charge Notices issued for non payment of the congestion charge on a Saturday or Sunday, made representations to TFL against the issue of the Penalty Charge Notice? And what was the success rate of such representations? Please break the number of representations down by type, including those who complained about the lack of information and/or lack of signage making them aware that the Congestion Charge applied on Saturday and Sundays. How many people issued with Penalty Charge Notices issued for non payment of the congestion charge on a Saturday or Sunday, appealed having made representations to TFL against the issue of the Penalty Charge Notice? And what was the success rate of such appeals? How many road users issued with a Penalty Charge Notice, issued for non payment of the congestion charge on a Saturday or Sunday, appealed to the London Tribunals due to the lack of information, available to road users, that the Congestion Charge applies on a Saturday or Sunday? As a proportion of road users, how many penalty charge notices were issued during 2020 and 2021, for each day of the week, as a percentage of the total road users who entered the congestion charging Zone on each day?

We answered

TfL Ref: FOI-2347-2122

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 17 January 2022.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

How many road users were issued with Penalty Charge Notices in 2020 and 2021 for failing to pay the Congestion Charge on a Saturday or a Sunday?

The changes to the Congestion Charge, including extending the charging hours to include Saturday and Sunday, were introduced on 22 June 2020.

In order to ensure all motorists were aware of the changes, on the first two weekends of charging, when a vehicle was observed in the zone without payment we issued a warning notice rather than a penalty charge notice (PCN). The first PCNs were issued for journey’s on 11 July 2020. In addition 25 December 2020 to 31 December 2021 were non-charging days.

Between 11 July 2020 and 30 January 2022 we issued 677904 PCNs for non-payment of the charge on a Saturday or Sunday. 

How many people issued with Penalty Charge Notices issued for non payment of the congestion charge on a Saturday or Sunday, made representations to TFL against the issue of the Penalty Charge Notice? And what was the success rate of such representations? Please break the number of representations down by type, including those who complained about the lack of information and/or lack of signage making them aware that the Congestion Charge applied on Saturday and Sundays.

How many people issued with Penalty Charge Notices issued for non payment of the congestion charge on a Saturday or Sunday, appealed having made representations to TFL against the issue of the Penalty Charge Notice? And what was the success rate of such appeals?

How many road users issued with a Penalty Charge Notice, issued for non payment of the congestion charge on a Saturday or Sunday, appealed to the London Tribunals due to the lack of information, available to road users, that the Congestion Charge applies on a Saturday or Sunday?

In order to challenge a penalty the recipient must first submit a representation to TfL. If the representation is accepted the penalty is cancelled. If we reject the representation the motorist has a further right of appeal to an Independent Adjudicator at London Tribunals.

Due to a reporting issue we do not hold information on representations for 2020. Therefore the data on representations is provided for calendar year 2021.  

The table below shows representations and their outcomes to the PCNs issued in 2021.
 
  January to December 2021  
Total PCN's Issued 387,174  
Total representations split by decision
Accepted 34,354  
Open 9,416  
Rejected 15,668  
Total reps 59,438  


We do not record representations made specifically on the grounds that a motorist was unaware of weekend charging or a lack of signage relating to this change and therefore we do not record this information.

With regards to appeals, these are made to London Tribunals and the reasons are recorded in their register of appeals which is available at  Registers of appeals | London Tribunals.

As a proportion of road users, how many penalty charge notices were issued during 2020 and 2021, for each day of the week, as a percentage of the total road users who entered the congestion charging Zone on each day?

Please see below the data for the percentage of average daily Congestion Charge PCNs issued as a proportion of total vehicles observed in the zone during charging hours.
 
  July to December 2020 January to December 2021
Monday 4.4% 3.6%
Tuesday 4.3% 3.3%
Wednesday 4.4% 3.4%
Thursday 4.6% 3.5%
Friday 5.1% 3.9%
Saturday 8.6% 5.7%
Sunday 10.1% 6.8%

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

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