Drivers could get slapped with 'unfair' fines for using yellow box junctions by local councils, the RAC has claimed in a new report.
The UK Government changed the law to allow councils outside of London and Cardiff to issue fines for traffic offences. Since the May 2022 ruling, 27 councils have put forward proposals to enforce 111 boxes.
If successful, councils would have the power to charge penalty charge notices (PCNs) that are determined by council, with the fine coming to £100 in Edinburgh and £60 in Glasgow and Aberdeen.
The RAC has flagged issues with 90 percent of the proposals for issues such as poor visibility, size and location, which it says would likely lead to drivers being fined unfairly.
The RAC explained: "The purpose of yellow boxes is to prevent the blocking of cross or through traffic. If a box or part of a box does not protect a cross movement, it serves no purpose and any fine issued there is unnecessary."
Chartered engineer Sam Wright, who was responsible for the design and approval of the yellow boxes on the Transport for London road network, was commissioned by the RAC to review the proposals. More than half were found to breach current government guidance.
"Crucially, I haven't seen a single proposal that reviews the visibility of the box from a driver's point of view," he said.
"If you also factor in bad weather, poor light and other vehicles, then the poor visibility situation is exacerbated. This is all very concerning, especially as enforcement is carried out via cameras high in the air."
Wright's report found 40 proposals posed visibility issues, 18 extended beyond junctions, and 16 were placed opposite T-junctions, which the Department for Transport guidance says serves "no useful purpose". Finally, nine yellow boxes are proposed to be in non-permitted locations.
RAC roads spokesperson Simon Williams said: "Fining people can have real financial consequences for those on the receiving end.
"Enforcing yellow boxes means that the driver of a vehicle overhanging a box by any amount for just a moment can get a ticket. Yet many drivers end up stopped or trapped in these junctions through no fault of their own. It is not only imperative, but a moral duty to ensure that fines are fair, justified and that the appeals’ process is consistent across the country."
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