Taxi drivers ‘being caught out’ by unclear signs and camera traps, says LTDA rep
- Perry Richardson
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
A senior figure within the London taxi trade has raised ongoing concerns about enforcement practices and road signage, arguing that drivers must now remain vigilant not only for public safety, but also to avoid being penalised by local authorities.
Writing in Taxi Newspaper, LTDA Senior Rep Sam Houston said: “Now, more than ever before, do drivers have to remain vigilant not merely to stay safe with the general public, but so local councils can’t catch you out.”
Houston said members regularly approach Taxi House believing they have received unfair Penalty Charge Notices. “Every day at Taxi House we speak to members who believe their PCN was unfair,” he wrote. While acknowledging that successful appeals are uncommon, he added that “every now and again a member has a PCN cancelled against all the odds. Although it is rare, it does happen.”
The column suggests that enforcement activity is being shaped by financial pressures. “It’s no secret that councils are cash-strapped but the level and manner of enforcement these days is cynical and unjustifiable,” Houston said. He argued that signage in some areas appears “designed to be ambiguous and to catch out the driver”.
LTDA senior representative Sam Houston claims ambiguous signage and rising camera enforcement are leaving drivers exposed to unfair penalties.
Referencing restrictions such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and yellow box junctions, he said that if clearer signage were used more widely, “then councils would make far less money”. He added: “These restrictions should be about keeping the traffic moving and keeping people safe, but if councils really cared about that, then they would make the signage much clearer and stop trying to catch drivers out just to make a quick pound note.”
Houston also questioned the balance of prosecutions relating to mobile device use and minor speeding offences. In a section titled “Telly-watching drivers”, he described seeing motorists watching television content on tablet-sized screens while driving. “It just makes me wonder how many more prosecutions there are for doing 24mph in a 20 zone than there are for seemingly more dangerous and pretty reckless offence,” he wrote.
While stating he was “not knocking the police”, Houston suggested that enforcement priorities may be influenced at a higher level. “By and large decisions about what and how to prosecute are likely taken higher up,” he said.
On 20mph limits in particular, he commented that “it’s hard to shake the feeling that 20mph limits, particularly on the Cromwell Road or Marylebone Road for example, are as much about ideology as safety, particularly when so stringently enforced while other offences seem to be prosecuted far less frequently.”
The remarks reflect ongoing concern within parts of the taxi industry about traffic enforcement methods and the operational impact of penalties on drivers’ livelihoods. With local authorities continuing to expand camera-based enforcement and traffic calming measures across London, the issue remains a live one for licensed drivers and representative bodies.
