London council rakes in £2m in just four months by issuing LTN fines

A London council has made nearly £2 million in just four months after fining motorists who entered Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs).

Haringey Council issued more than 60,000 penalty charge notices between September and December 2022 after the local authority introduced LTNs on a trial basis.

The council was accused of using motorists as “cash cows” to boost its income, despite the country being in the grip of a cost of living crisis.

Three LTNs - in Bounds Green, St Ann’s and Bruce Grove - were introduced in the hope of reducing pollution and boosting walking and cycling.

However, some local people have complained that closing roads has increased traffic and therefore pollution on neighbouring roads.

David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, has called for a review into the LTNs after being contacted by constituents who claimed congestion on the roads in the borough had increased.

Local authorities that boost funds from CCTV cameras capturing motorists that enter LTNs must use the extra revenue to fund transport schemes, such as repairing roads or paying for concessionary travel.

Tottenham Young Conservatives used Freedom of Information laws to obtain details of the money raised through fines since the LTNs were set up.

'LTN cash grab'

Angelos Tsangarides, from that group, described the money raised as an “LTN cash grab” by the council.

Two-thirds of the fines were issued to motorists from outside of the borough.

It emerged last year that the council expects the schemes to raise £5.7 million from LTNs in just one year.

It emerged earlier this month that a hairdresser received 27 penalty charge notices for driving on her own road.

Ivy Kalli, 62, from the St Ann’s area of the borough received demands for £4,000 of fines.

“I was panicking,’ Miss Kalli told the Daily Mail. ‘I struggle with arthritis and I was struggling to take my tablets. I was that stressed.

“I was getting ratty and couldn’t sleep with this hanging over my head.’ After complaints, her fines were cancelled.”

Councillor Mike Hakata, deputy leader at Haringey Council, said all LTNs were introduced on an experimental basis and said: “Our data shows that more than two-thirds of these fines were issued to vehicles registered outside the borough, which demonstrates we are an importer of traffic.  But we don’t want to fine anyone, from inside or outside the borough, and our expectation and hope is that compliance will be high.  

“For the first few weeks after the low traffic schemes were introduced, warning letters were issued advising drivers not to go through camera-enforced filters or they would receive a fine."