Traffic fines hit record levels

A record 5.9 million parking and bus lane fines were issued in London in the past year, up more than 500,000 on the previous year, new figures reveal.

More drivers than ever before were given £80 or £100 penalties after being caught parking illegally in the 33 boroughs or driving in bus lanes.

The main reason for the dramatic rise is that more councils are enforcing bus lanes with CCTV cameras.

Last year eight authorities including Transport for London were policing main roads. This year the number leapt to 20, with more to come.

A total of 757,512 motorists were fined for "trespassing" in bus lanes in the past year, up from 426,945 the year before. A rise in the number of controlled parking zones is also blamed for the leap in fines, recorded in a report by the Association of London Government.

The RAC Foundation suggested "over-zealous" councils were boosting fines revenue to offset an anticipated fall in takings from parking meters as fewer drivers enter central London.

The figures show 5,936,391 penalties were issued in the year to March 31, compared with 5,435,594 for the previous year. Of those, 5,178,879 were for illegal parking, compared with 4,929,692 the year before.

Penalties range from £80 in outer London to £100 in inner London, with a 50 per cent discount for early payment in both areas.

Together, the parking and bus lane fines have a face value of nearly £542 million. In practice, half of all motorists pay within a fortnight at the discounted rate and 20 per cent of fines go uncollected.

This means the boroughs are likely to have received about £250 million in fines in 2003/04.

The report reveals that Westminster issued the most parking fines: 1,051,798 compared with 976,476 the year before. The second largest number of fines was issued by TfL, which penalised 307,706 motorists for driving in bus lanes.

Camden imposed the third largest number of parking fines (446,212) followed by Kensington and Chelsea on 291,445. The borough that sent out the most bus lane fines was Newham on 70,437.

Nick Lester, ALG's transport and environment director, said the figures sent a "clear warning" to offenders that they were likely to get a ticket. "Parking illegally causes hazards for all road users including pedestrians," he said.