TFL Issue Incorrect fines over car number plate ULEZ
Reg Plates ArticleTFL Issue Incorrect fines over car number plate ULEZ
Unjust Ulez Fines Leave Motorists Frustrated
Two motorists have been wrongly fined for driving in London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez) after their car registration plates were cloned. Despite providing evidence that their vehicles were not in the capital at the time of the alleged offenses, they have been forced to battle with Transport for London (TfL) to get the fines overturned.
C and FC from London received parking and speeding fines, which they promptly contested. However, their auto-pay account with TfL had already been debited by £400 in Ulez penalties. After canceling auto-pay, they were further harassed with a £200 demand from debt collectors. TfL initially refused to accept that the offending car was not theirs, despite clear evidence to the contrary.
AW from Northampton found herself in a similar situation. She received multiple Ulez fines even though she had never driven to London. Photos attached to the fines showed a number plate one digit different to her own. Despite repeated appeals, the fines kept coming, leading her to fear that the situation would never be resolved.
TfL admitted that it had failed to spot a "bolt" in the cloned number plate, causing a D to be mistaken for a B. The agency apologized and placed a marker on the account to prevent further errors. It also finally accepted that C and FC were not liable for the fines and apologized for the distress caused, promising a "full" refund.
These cases highlight the need for TfL to improve its processes for verifying registration plates and issuing fines. The current system is clearly flawed and is causing unnecessary stress and inconvenience for motorists.
On our website, we offer a number plate search feature that lets you enter words, letters or numbers that you would like to see in the number plate of your dreams.
Try it out with words you would like to incorporate into your private number plate, such as a name, nickname, age or keyword (such as a hobby or passion).
You can use the general search to find any and all matching plates, or you can use our ‘prefix style’ search to search for plates that end in three letters of your choice, but have any combination at the start.
Alternatively, the ‘current search’ will allow you to specify two letters at the start and / or the age identifier numbers in the middle, and / or the final three letters at the end of the plate.
A final option for searching for your dream number plate is to use our ‘dateless search’ option, where you can find number plates that do not have a date identifier. These cherished plates are especially popular for vintage and classic cars, and are often the most prized of all personalised number plates.
Through this range of search options, you can go a long way towards finding your perfect personalised number plate. You could search for a Bob, a Tim, a Lou or a Ted, or you could include numbers that are meaningful to you in some way, such as your age, year of birth, or the year you got married. Do remember that drivers are not legally allowed to use a registration plate that makes a car look younger than it actually is (so a car built in 2012 can’t have a 2014 registration number).
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