Leicester drivers warned new enforcement cameras are set to go live at box junctions in city centre

New cameras to go live at yellow box junctions in city
New cameras are to go live at yellow box junctions in city, including this one, at the junction of Abbey Street and Gravel Street -Credit:Google


New enforcement cameras are due to go live at two yellow box junctions in Leicester city centre. The cameras, close to St Margaret’s Bus Station, will enable Leicester City Council to fine drivers who block the junctions.

The yellow boxes, one at the junction of Abbey Street and Gravel Street, and the other at the junction of Vaughan Way and Causeway Lane, regularly become blocked by motorists who break the law by entering them without being able to exit, disrupting bus services, blocking emergency vehicles and potentially causing gridlock, a spokesperson for Leicester City Council said.

The cameras will come into effect from Monday, May 27. However, there will be a temporary grace period for drivers who still flout the rules. For the first six months, drivers will be issued with a warning notice, informing them they would be fined for blocking the junction once enforcement began in earnest.

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From late November, after the grace period, drivers blocking either of the junctions will be fined £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days, said the spokesperson. The enforcement cameras will be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “These new ‘London-style’ camera-enforced yellow box junctions will be among the first outside the capital, where they have been used for many years to the benefit of all road users. The clearly marked yellow box junctions are there to stop motorists from entering the junction unless their exit is clear, as set out in the Highway Code.

"The new enforcement powers mean we can take more responsibility for ensuring that traffic flows efficiently and safely, helping to tackle unnecessary obstructions and congestion at these important junctions.”

The city council said the results of a public consultation on the proposals, carried out in late 2022, showed that almost three quarters of respondents supported the introduction of camera enforcement at the two junctions. The Department for Transport has given permission to the council to use camera enforcement at those junctions.