Drivers face cycle-lane fines

MOTORISTS could face £130 fines from their local council for driving into cycle lanes or stopping in box junctions under new nationwide parking offences being considered by ministers.

The fines, which are already enforced in London, could be introduced nationwide as the Government tries to encourage more environmentally friendly ways of getting to work once the lockdown is lifted.

Earlier this month, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, announced a £2billion package to fund new cycle lanes, wider pavements and safer junctions. The post-lockdown commute is set to look very different, with just 10 per cent of public transport capacity.

Baroness Vere, the junior transport minister, told the House of Lords the Government was considering what role these enforcement powers could play in helping councils to deliver their transport recovery plans, The Mail on Sunday reported. More than 1.7million penalty charge notices were issued by London councils in 2018-19 for moving traffic offences.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: “Councils outside London have been calling for powers to enforce moving traffic laws for many years and across successive governments. Infringements of these laws frustrate responsible motorists, force cyclists into busy traffic, hold up buses, cause unnecessary congestion, affect local businesses and increase pollution.”

The Daily Telegraph revealed last year that only 59 motorists had been fined for leaving their engines idling despite councils having had the power to enforce fines for 17 years.