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, as councils fail to maintain valid paperwork for restrictions and cameras.
The AA has branded the practice “outrageous”, after London Tribunals traffic adjudicators found at least six councils issuing fines based on expired or invalid documentation.
The findings suggest many drivers are unnecessarily paying penalties that lack proper legal basis, with thousands accepting early payment discounts rather than challenging invalid fines.
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The data found that many drivers were slapped with fines unjustly
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Statistics from London Councils reveal that 56 per cent of bus lane fine appeals in 2023/24 were either successful or went uncontested by authorities.
For moving traffic offences, such as stopping in yellow box junctions, 35 per cent of appeals were upheld or not contested. These successful appeals represent nearly 7,300 cases across London.
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.
The motoring organisation suggests that for each successful appeal, “perhaps hundreds more” drivers simply pay up within 14 days to secure the 50 per cent early payment discount.
In the three weeks leading to January 4, six London councils were unable to provide tribunals with valid paperwork for their issued fines.
The boroughs identified were Lambeth, Croydon, Harrow, Redbridge and Greenwich, along with the City of London.
Traffic adjudicators were forced to cancel these penalties due to the lack of proper documentation, with the AA saying this was the “tip of the iceberg”.
Fines for both bus lane infringements and moving traffic offences can only be legally issued when Traffic Management Orders (TMOs) are valid.
Adjudicators have also ruled in drivers’ favour in cases where councils failed to provide current certification for enforcement cameras.
Luke Bosdet, from the AA’s motoring policy unit, condemned the practice, stating: “Dishing out fines for any restriction that has expired is outrageous.
“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?”
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The AA is urging the Department for Transport to review council enforcement practices and to hold all TMOs on a central database with expiry alerts. It added that drivers were being “stitched up by council incompetence” with inadequate signage and restricted access to electric vehicle charging points.
A notable case emerged in October when Southwark Council was found to lack a valid TMO for its most profitable bus lane. It was revealed that 4,478 drivers were fined more than £500,000.
The Department for Transport has announced plans to modernise the TMO process, with a spokesperson stating: “Local authorities are responsible for local traffic measures and they should make sure penalties for the use of bus lanes are fair and proportionate.”
A spokesperson for London Councils encouraged motorists to challenge questionable fines. They added: “London Councils encourages any motorist who does not believe that the PCN should have been issued to make representations to the local authority, and then appeal any rejected decision with London Tribunals.”