FINES, BUT NO POINTS: London council first to target motorists speeding over 20mph

Wandsworth Borough Council are launching a new road safety campaign targeting speeding motorists in the first scheme of its kind in the country.

The pilot initiative will target motorists travelling over 20mph and issue speeding fines by the council instead of the police.

The Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) will impose a fine of £130, with a 50 percent discount if paid within 14 days. Under the council scheme, however, offenders will not receive penalty points on their licence.

Once in force motorists will be penalised if they exceed the 20mph limit on two busy residential roads in the borough - Wimbledon Park Road and Priory Lane - which are both the subject of numerous complaints from local people about excessive vehicle speeds.

The Wandsworth pilot is designed to support and not replace Met Police enforcement of excessive traffic speeds in the borough – and is a direct response to complaints from local people who support greater levels of enforcement.

Traffic studies conducted recently over an eight-week period found that one in four vehicles broke the speed limit in Priory Lane, while in Wimbledon Park Road it was one in five.

The Wandsworth scheme will get underway later this month and continue for up to eight months using an experimental traffic order.

Offences will be caught on camera and for an initial period only, warning letters will be sent to the vehicle’s owners. After this initial period expires, PCNs will be sent instead.

Money received from fines will be ‘ringfenced’ and put back into road safety initiatives in the borough.

The scheme has been approved by London Councils – the umbrella group representing all 32 town halls in the capital. If the Wandsworth pilot is judged a success, other councils in London and elsewhere are likely to follow suit.

Council leader Cllr Simon Hogg said: “Speeding traffic is one of the biggest sources of complaints we receive from our residents.

"Ensuring drivers stick to the 20mph limit not only improves safety levels and encourages more people to walk or cycle, it helps reduce harmful emissions too.

“Until now, only the Metropolitan Police have had powers to enforce speed limits, but they tend to concentrate their resources on main roads and dual carriageways, whereas most of the complaints we receive are about people driving too fast along quieter residential streets.

“Our pilot scheme will focus on two residential roads where excessive speeds are known to be an issue.

“If judged a success, we will look to make it permanent and carry out enforcement in other parts of the borough where we know vehicle speeds are excessive.”

Traffic studies conducted recently over an eight-week period found that one in four vehicles broke the speed limit in Priory Lane while in Wimbledon Park Road it was one in five.

The Wandsworth scheme will get underway later this month and continue for up to eight months using an experimental traffic order. Offences will be caught on camera and for an initial period only, warning letters will be sent to the vehicle’s owners. After this initial period expires, penalty charge notices (PCNs) will be sent instead. The PCN will impose a fine of £130, with a 50 per cent discount if paid within 14 days. Under the council scheme, however, offenders will not receive penalty points on their licence.