Moving Traffic Camera Enforcement Pilot
Why are the Council considering the enforcement of moving traffic offences?
In May 2022, the Government granted powers to make moving traffic enforcement (under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004) available to local authorities outside London. This enables councils to apply to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to tackle illegal and dangerous driving activities such as turning up one-way streets, ignoring no entry signs, exceeding weight limits and driving in pedestrian zones.
We plan to apply for these powers so that we can target key areas in the borough to:
- improve road safety including for those walking, cycling, and wheeling. This can help to encourage more people to take up active travel options
- reduce traffic congestion
- improve journey times for public transport services
- reduce vehicle emissions which in turn improves air quality
- enable the Police to focus their policing priorities elsewhere and
- make enforcement more consistent, effective and acts as a deterrent to prevent breaches happening in the first place.
In addition to improving road safety and cutting congestion, the proposals would have the added benefit of freeing up police time to tackle other public priorities.
What are examples of moving traffic offences?
- driving where and when motor vehicles are prohibited, such as in pedestrianised areas or on roads during timed closures, like school and play streets
- driving on routes that are only for buses, cyclists, and taxis to use
- making prohibited turning movements, i.e., no right turn, etc.
The proposal is to trial cameras next year at ten problem locations, starting initially with the five trouble spots where monitoring and public feedback show restrictions are breached most.
ANPR camera enforcement will be used, and fines issued. Surplus income, once the operational costs have been met, will be used for highway improvement projects in line with strict government guidelines. This funding will only be used for projects helping to achieve the following objectives:
- improve road safety
- tackle congestion on our roads
- increase public transport reliability
- improve air quality increase the life span of the highway assets.
Before applying for these powers, the Council is consulting with people over a six-week period from 15 November to 24 December 2022. This will enable people to make their views known on the selected sites and help the Council better understand any enforcement issues that might be present in these locations.
What areas are being considered for moving traffic enforcement?
The proposal is to trial five trouble spots where monitoring and public feedback show restrictions are breached most. This will then extend to a further five locations.
Along with intelligence gathered from anecdotal information from enforcement officers, on-site surveys were conducted over a seven-day period to record the number of illegal vehicle movements at these locations. This informed the suitability for ANPR enforcement and was based on the Department for Transport criteria to select the proposed sites.
The ten locations with restrictions are:
- Site 1: Eton Bridge, Windsor – no motor vehicles
- Site 2: Junction of Kings St and Nicholsons Lane, Maidenhead – pedestrian zone
- Site 3: Grenfell Road, Maidenhead – left turn only
- Site 4: Outside Wraysbury School, Wraysbury - vehicular traffic prohibited during specified school drop off/pick up times
- Site 5: Cookham Bridge, Cookham – 7.5 tonne weight limit
- Site 6: William Street, Windsor – no entry except for access
- Site 7: Mounts Hill, Winkfield/Windsor – no right turn
- Site 8: Chobham Road, Ascot – 7.5 tonne weight limit
- Site 9: Oxford Road East, Windsor – no entry except access
- Site 10: Altwood Road, Maidenhead – vehicular traffic prohibited during specified school drop off/pick up times.
During the first six months of the Council taking up the enforcement powers at the five trial locations, there will be an introductory period and warning notices will be issued to motorists contravening the restrictions. This will only apply to a first offence and a fine will be issued if a motorist contravenes the restrictions on further occasions. The cost of a fine will be £70 reducing to £35 if it is paid within 14 days.
The Council will be assessing further locations throughout the borough for moving traffic enforcement as part of later stages of the process, particularly locations where there are incidences of poor driver adherence to traffic restrictions.
We want to hear your views about our choice of locations to enforce the existing moving traffic offences. Your feedback will help us to understand if there are any issues at the locations and help us develop plans for assessing and prioritising future locations across the borough. Please complete the survey below.
For a full list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the moving traffic enforcement proposals, please check on the right hand side of this page.
What happens after the consultation period closes?
We will collate and consider the feedback received before an application is submitted in January 2023 to the DfT to adopt moving traffic enforcement powers.