Motorists could have to pay £160 as TfL given new powers
Penalty Charge Notice for £160 to be levied for driving in cycle lanes
Transport for London (TfL) has been given new powers by the government to fine drivers who infringe on cycle lanes on red routes.
From this Monday (27 June), fines will be issued to any motorist driving within or crossing the white lines of the cycle lanes that are marked by a solid white line and cycle tracks.
These restrictions were mandatory but, up until now, were enforced by the police who rarely took action on any breaches of the law. Now TfL will issue fines of £160 to anyone caught although these will be reduced to £80 for prompt payment.
At this stage enforcement will only be on TfL’s Road Network (TLRN) but the changes introduced by the government also give London boroughs the option to introduce the charges.
The fines will operate in the same way as enforcement currently does for bus lanes and yellow box junctions.. Initially, TfL will use existing CCTV cameras to enforce contraventions in cycle lanes and cycle tracks at key locations across its road network.
Siwan Hayward, TfL's Director of Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security, said, “Protecting designated space for cyclists is essential in keeping them safe and improving confidence to cycle. We will start enforcing in key locations in London to deter drivers contravening the road rules. We want to ensure a green and sustainable future for London, and to do this we must continue to make walking and cycling round our city safe and accessible to all Londoners.”
It is understood that the new powers will also allow TfL to develop a new revenue stream helping them meet the conditions of the new funding package recently agreed with the government which requires it to increase income to make itself more financially self-sufficient.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
June 26, 2022