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Letter: We Should Not Accept Traffic Offence Penalties As a Way To Raise Council Revenue
Published on: 30 Jun, 2025
Updated on: 30 Jun, 2025
Bus Lane Notices (before change)
From: Patrick Bray
In response to: Yellow Box Fines Are Just a Money-raising Opportunity for SCC
It’s fundamentally incorrect to look upon fines as a revenue source. Fines should be about enforcement to improve safety. Considering fines as revenue encourages the targeting of motorists and the pursuance of traffic schemes that are so convoluted it’s easy for motorists to make errors. Ultimately this is less safe.
As an example take the current bus lane camera on the one way system. I was coming home late from work, the traffic was light I moved gently into the lane to go to Shalford. Two weeks later I received a fine, for an encroachment approximately 20 feet from the end of the bus lane I had two wheels over the line.
Yes I contravened a traffic regulation, but to obey it means making a more sudden manoeuvre than required, I was more interested in keeping an eye on the pedestrians in case they made a sudden run across the road and there was no bus to disadvantage. So now I spend more time worrying about the cameras than I do about cars and pedestrians.
Let’s not accept blatant penalisation to raise revenue, let’s focus on improving safety and the efficacy of transport – including motoring.
See also: We Need More Yellow Boxes and Enforcement
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Responses to Letter: We Should Not Accept Traffic Offence Penalties As a Way To Raise Council Revenue
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Nigel Keane
June 30, 2025 at 2:13 pm
The sad thing is that all traffic enforcement was once the prerogative of the Police and young officers would deal with offences which, if regarded as suitable could be dealt with by a warning letter or if not a court appearance thus ensuring that officers became proficient when giving evidence.
Nowadays an officer may go for several years before appearing at Crown Court and give evidence. Traffic Wardens employed by the police took over some of the duties although constables retained the powers and professional standards were maintained.
Fair law enforcement was removed by giving local authorities the responsibility for penalty enforcement without resort to a magistrates court. Most councils employ private companies to deal with offences and the council receives part of an invaluable revenue stream but by using often poorly trained and poorly paid staff.