New DVLA rules and driving laws coming in 2022
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Controversial new rules come in on June 1 that will allow councils to issue fines for minor traffic offences like stopping in yellow box junctions and driving in no entry zones. Previously they were only enforceable by the police and were often overlooked.
Motoring organisations have voiced serious concerns over the new legislation, warning that it may well lead to thousands of wrongly issued fines.
The Department for Transport (DfT) will soon begin accepting applications from councils to issue fines for moving traffic offences.
This includes yellow box misuse, making an illegal turn or driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
The changes are apparently part of an effort to promote cycling and walking around the UK.
And now successful applications will be able to issue penalty charge notices (PCNs) of anything up to £70 for these offences from June 1.
To date, only local authorities in London and Cardiff have had the power to issue penalty charge notices for these infringements.
Yellow box junction offences are particularly common and many feel the new powers will rake in huge amounts of money for local authorities.
All councils will be able to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras located near potential offence locations to catch drivers in the act.
While RAC research showed 57 percent of drivers are generally in favour of yellow box junctions being enforced, it has discovered that many junctions have design flaws which cause drivers to become trapped through no fault of their own.
It even found that some are so poorly maintained that it is hard to see where the yellow lines start and where they finish.
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “There will be a high degree of confusion among drivers and local authorities which could lead to an avalanche of penalty charge notices being wrongly issued and then having to be appealed.
“This will inevitably lead to an unnecessarily high number of appeals for local authorities to review, as well as some poor outcomes for drivers.”
The AA concurred, stating: “London traffic penalty adjudicators continue to highlight instances of bad road layout, or councils ignoring or simply not understanding the rules of enforcement.
“With most innocent drivers paying up instead of contesting unjustified PCNs, councils can haul in tens of thousands of pounds in fines at locations they know to be traps.”
Sam Wright, a chartered engineer who was formerly responsible for the design and approval of yellow boxes on the TfL, said changes need to be made.
They said: “The key design principle is that yellow boxes should be no bigger than is necessary to prevent vehicles obstructing through movements.
“They are not designed for, and serve no purpose in, situations where vehicles are travelling in the same direction.”
Express.co.uk readers were unhappy with the developments, with one commenter, ‘Swifty’ writing: “This Government is allowing councils to behave like cowboys in their constant search to extract money from us at the slightest excuse.”
Another, ‘Backfire’ added: “Most of the road markings are worn away near us. It will probably help the Council make a fortune out of confused motorists.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “These new powers are designed to improve cycle safety, air quality and support of bus services.
“It’s for local authorities to enforce them and ensure they meet local needs.”
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