"Richard J." wrote in message ...
deja user wrote:
In terms of legal cases, here's something I'd love to hear your
opinions on:

Was driving just outside the congestion charging zone, and had to turn
the car around. Dipped into a small alley, came out and went on my way
in the opposite direction. I didn't know if I'd been in the zone or
not when I u-ied the car (was a little bit lost).

You mean you were not paying sufficient attention to see whether there were
any "C" signs at the entrance to this "alleyway"? Are you sure you didn't
go through any red lights or down one-way streets the wrong way as well?

So... simple enough,
called up TFL and this is how the conversation went:

Me : Excuse me, I don't know what to do, I may have entered the
congestion charging zone, but I can't be sure. Can you tell me if I
have been or not?

TFL: I'm sorry, but we don't have that information.
snip

I'm sure from a jurisprudence perspective, this is illegal.

Why are you sure? What law do you think is being broken?

I think it's time someone took TFL to court and addressed these
issues. I'm happy to pay my charge, but it's anathema to me to have to
pay for a service I may have not used under duress.

Not sure where the duress comes in. You failed to notice whether you
entered the zone. Hardly TfL's fault.

I agree with Richard, although I do understand if you are lost in
London it may be all too easy to make a mistake, take the wrong
turning and enter the zone. It is TfL's responsibility to put the
correct signs at the zone boundary. However, it is the driver's
responsibility to learn the meaning of ALL traffic signs - and keep an
eye out for them. Not noticing them, or not knowing the meaning is no
defence.

TfL would not be able to confirm whether you had entered the zone
unless your number plate was read by a camera. But you were still
liable for the charge from the moment you crossed the boundary,
whether you were photographed or not.