Twelve councils in England will now be able to fine drivers for offences that were once only issued by the police.
Since May last year, local authorities have been able to apply for powers to issue penalty charge notices (PNCs) to drivers.
In January 2023, Transport Minister Baroness Vere said the move would "help cut congestion, improve bus services and boost road safety".
The change comes as some minor offences could often go unpunished as a result of there being fewer officers on our roads.
According to official data collected by Confused.com through a Freedom of Information request to the Department for Transport (DfT), 12 councils have been granted permission to enforce “moving traffic offences”.
Moving traffic offences usually consist of things such as:
- Incorrectly driving in a bus lane
- Stopping in a yellow box junction
- Banned right or left turns
- Illegal U-turns
- Going the wrong way in a one-way street
- Ignoring a Traffic Regulation Order
The fines for these offences typically cost up to £70 outside London, and up to £130 in the capital, but are halved if paid within 14 days.
Councils who’ve been granted powers can now also issue penalty charge notices which usually consist of fines of £20 for lower level penalties that are paid quickly.
However, some fines could range up to £105 for late payment of higher level penalties.
Some authorities have already been granted the powers to enforce these fines whilst others will introduce them later this year.
According to the data gathered, each authority has also requested to monitor specific areas within each council for moving traffic offences.
Councils that have been granted powers, when they will introduce them, and the areas to be monitored:
Durham - October 2022 - one weight limit bridge
Luton - January 2023 - pedestrian zones
Oxfordshire - Feb 2023 - school pedestrian-only zones
Reading - Spring 2023 - 15 yellow box junctions
Hampshire - Spring 2023 - school yellow markings at 10 sites
Surrey - May 2023 - yellow box junctions
Kent - Spring/Summer 2023 - multiple sites
Bedford - Summer 2023 - undecided/unspecified
Bath & North East Somerset - No confirmed date as of yet - five sites, yellow box junctions and left turns
Derby City, Buckinghamshire and Norfolk council have also been granted powers, but it’s not yet known which areas they’ll be monitoring.
Before the change, councils in London and Cardiff were already granted powers to enforce these contraventions.
According to data collected by the RAC, these fines usually brought in around £58million per year for the council before the pandemic.
More than half of the cash generated was for fines for unlawfully blocking a box junction.
Louise Thomas, Confused.com car insurance expert, said: “As councils in England are granted powers to issue fines for moving traffic offences, the hope is that road safety will improve, and police force workloads will be supported.
“But to improve road safety, councils will be monitoring moving traffic offences with a close lens.
"Although it’s expected that councils will give warnings before issuing monetary fines, this doesn’t mean that drivers should take the risk and commit offences.
"Drivers could get a fine of up to £105 for a moving traffic offence."
