Drivers slapped with £70 fines after long-standing road law 'finally enforced'

Thousands of motorists have been slapped with instant fine for breaching new traffic rules. Drivers and road users in the East Midlands, in Northamptonshire, have been hit with fines for breaking yellow box junction rules as we head deeper into autumn.

In February this year, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) started to enforce the hatched yellow box at the junction of St John’s Street and Victoria Gardens, as well as no Right turns allowed from Fishponds Road into Great Billing Way and the bus only route at Hermitage Way.

During the first six months of enforcement measures going live, a warning notice was issued for first offences to any vehicle, however from 1 August (St John’s Street) and 16 August (Fishponds Road and Hermitage Way) onwards, anyone who has breached the rules at these sites has received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.

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796 motorists received immediate PCNs across the three sites in August. Cllr Phil Larratt, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “Highway measures such as box junctions, the prohibition of turning movements and bus lanes are introduced to assist in reducing congestion, improving road safety, and ensuring better flow of traffic and public transport. Unfortunately, the police do not have the resource to enforce these measures that are often ignored by drivers, hence the decision of Government to delegate enforcement powers to Highway Authorities such as West Northamptonshire Council. Working with our partners, including the police and bus operators, we made an informed decision to introduced enforcement cameras at these locations. Although they have been in place for some months now, and are acting as a deterrent, we continue to see motorists breaching the rules.

“Whilst we understand some have raised concerns, many are supportive of our efforts with people requesting us to consider putting in place similar measures elsewhere across West Northants. Up until August we have sent out warning advisory letters to anyone caught stopping in the box, making prohibited turns, and utilising the bus lane. Going forward any driver caught breaking the rules will not receive a warning but will be issued with a fine. It is still too early to say how this is impacting on the number of offenders, but we are hopeful this will serve to further reduce issues in these areas."