Councils will be given new powers to impose fines

Legislative changes earlier this year allowed councils to request certain policing powers, and the transfer of powers is due to take place on June 1.

From that date, any council that has applied to become a local ‘enforcement authority’ can impose fines of up to £70 for a range of ‘moving traffic offences’.

The change in powers aims to ease the pressure on police forces and make it easier for councils to enforce road rules.

It will allow them to issue fines to drivers who block yellow-box intersections, ride on bike lanes, or ignore roadside instructions such as “No Entry” or “Turn Left/Right” signs.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere announced the planned change last year, saying it would give local authorities the right tools to “manage roads in a way that best suits local needs”.

The RAC has said that while councils need powers to stop repeat breaches of the rules, poorly planned or poorly enforced rules, particularly near junctions, could result in “countless” unfair and unnecessary fines being imposed.

The organisation’s head of road transport policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: “It is absolutely crucial that yellow junctions are fairly enforced and as things stand this may not be the case, meaning many drivers will be mistreated and lose out financially as a result .”

Currently there is no legal obligation for local authorities to meet the basic design criteria of yellow box crossings, which dictate the size and visibility of the markings.

Mr Lyes said: “We have written to the Department for Transport asking them to update the guidance to make it clear to local authorities what the minimum standard of design and condition of a box link should be before enforcement can begin, but they insist This manual is sufficient.

“We fear that failure to update the guidance to include the lessons learned from more than 15 years of enforcement in London will result in countless spurious fines, endless unnecessary stress for drivers who feel unfairly treated and thousands of wasted council hours to investigate appeals.”