Motorists fined record £127 million as councils target minor offences

LONDON councils are using special powers to fine motorists a record £127 million a year for minor driving offences, it can be revealed today.

Almost one million tickets were issued after spy cameras caught drivers getting stuck in yellow box junctions, making banned turns or breaching cyclists-only restrictions.

Campaigners accuse councils of targeting the cameras on so-called “moving traffic offences” after being banned by the Government from using CCTV to spot illegal parking.

Figures seen by the Standard show councils and Transport for London issued 980,058 such tickets in 2015/16 — almost 50 per cent more than the 657,882 the previous year. The tickets cost £130, although those paying within a fortnight get a £65 discount. However, the charges can escalate if motorists appeal and lose their case.

The total number of penalty tickets issued by the 33 boroughs and TfL — including for parking offences — remained broadly constant at about 4.7 million for the year, despite 400,000 fewer parking tickets being issued. This generated a face-value income of £606 million for London local authorities last year. Hammersmith and Fulham was the most prolific borough at issuing moving traffic penalties. It sent out 104,575 last year, with “hotspot” locations including Hammersmith roundabout and the Bagley’s Lane junction with New King’s Road in Fulham.

Waltham Forest was second highest with 83,887 tickets — almost 2.5 times more than the previous year. This was largely due to drivers being caught using Orford Road in Walthamstow village during the day — which is banned under the Mini Holland procycling and walking scheme.

About 1,000 tickets a month were issued between May 2015 and last July. Another Mini Holland scheme, in Kingston, has sparked fury from motorists.

A total of 28,520 drivers have been sent tickets after breaching new restrictions in Surbiton Crescent, which is part of a new Kingston to Surbiton cycle route, between November 14 last year and January 15.

This means Kingston council has generated at least £1.8 million in nine weeks. Paul Pearson, who runs the penaltychargenotice.co.uk website, said: “Faced with a loss of revenue and cameras they could no longer use, councils in London have simply re-trained them on so-called moving traffic con- traventions. Councils have no incentive to make restrictions clear to motorists, and in many cases they just carry on issuing thousands of tickets at locations where they know there is an issue.”

Hammersmith and Fulham council said “huge volumes” of traffic passed through the borough as a gateway to central London from the west and south. A spokesman added: “Many moving traffic offences are recorded at the yellow box junction at Bagley’s Lane. However, seven million drivers navigate this junction each year without breaking the rules.”

Clyde Loakes, deputy leader of Waltham Forest council, said councils were “having to pick up the slack” of tackling motoring offences due to “decreasing levels of enforcement from the police”.

Terry Paton, Kingston’s portfolio holder for the Go Cycle programme, said of Surbiton Crescent: “The number of penalty charge notices being issued for this trial closure has been declining.”

London Councils, which represents the 33 boroughs, said 82,000 fewer penalty tickets were issued for all offences last year, compared with 2014/15, with parking tickets at their lowest level for 20 years. @RossLydall