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Posted on the 22nd January 2025 in PHTM News
DRIVERS SLAPPED WITH 'OUTRAGEOUS' FINES BY COUNCILS 'WITHOUT LEGAL BASIS' ACCORDING TO THE AA
Thousands of UK drivers are paying traffic fines that should never have been issued, with multiple London councils handing out £130 penalties without proper legal documentation.
New analysis has revealed widespread issues with traffic enforcement across the capital, with several boroughs issuing the penalties for offences such as driving in restricted bus lanes and yellow box junction violations, without valid Traffic Management Orders (TMOs) or camera certifications.
The AA has raised serious concerns about drivers being forced to spend time and money pursuing appeals when councils could have cancelled invalid fines after initial complaints.
"Dishing out fines for any restriction that has expired is outrageous," stated Luke Bosdet from the AA's motoring policy unit.
"While a handful of drivers have fought back against fines that shouldn't have been issued in the first place, thousands of drivers each year will have paid the half-rate within 14 days.
"How can it ever be acceptable that a council fines a motorist for an offence without legal basis and just has to cancel the demand for money?"
In recent weeks, tribunals have overturned fines issued by Lambeth, Croydon, Harrow, Redbridge, Greenwich, and the City of London due to missing or expired documentation. The AA believes this is just a fraction of the total number of illegal fines issued.
Statistics from London Councils show a significant number of successful appeals against traffic fines, with 56% of bus lane fine appeals and 35% of moving traffic offence appeals either successful or not contested. This translates to nearly 7,300 successful appeals across London.
However, the AA is concerned that many more drivers are simply paying the reduced early payment discount within 14 days rather than contesting potentially invalid fines.
"For each successful appeal, perhaps hundreds more" drivers pay the reduced fine, Bosdet suggested.
A DfT spokesman said: "Local authorities are responsible for local traffic measures and they should make sure penalties for the use of bus lanes are fair and proportionate.
"They must ensure their Traffic Management Orders are up to date, and we will be sharing proposals to modernise this process, making it more efficient for local authorities."
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