Page contents
- The new regulations
- What are the moving traffic offences?
- Enforcement
- Our consultations and trials
- HGV Watch
The new regulations
Towards the end of 2021, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that they would be introducing new regulations that would allow local authorities outside London to carry out moving traffic enforcement. In March 2022, our cabinet agreed that we should make an application for the new powers after reviewing the potential benefits they could bring. The regulations were introduced in May 2022 and our application was officially confirmed as having been successful in July.
This means that we can now use cameras to enforce a variety of moving traffic offences on Surrey roads, thereby increasing the effectiveness of measures proposed in the new Local Transport Plan 4 aimed at improving safety, reducing congestion, protecting the environment and upgrading infrastructure for buses, cycles and pedestrians.
What are the moving traffic offences?
The offences include making banned turns, failing to proceed in the direction indicated by an arrow, stopping on yellow box junction markings, driving in bus lanes and ignoring signs prohibiting motor vehicle access or vehicles over a certain weight. The annex to the March cabinet report (PDF) contains a full list of all the signs and road markings that we can now use cameras to enforce.
Enforcement
The DfT has been very clear that the introduction of these enforcement powers is carried with a controlled and measured approach, and this includes a consultation on the use of cameras at each potential new location and the issuing of warning notices for first offences for the first six months of operation at each new site.
In addition, we will monitor compliance levels at any potential locations so that we would only use cameras where they are needed or there is evidence of moving traffic offences or misuse of the highway. We would also make sure that the road layout, signs and road markings are all clear and can be easily understood by road users before starting enforcement at a new location.
Our consultations and trials
In the spring of last year, we carried out a consultation on the use of cameras at the yellow box junction markings on the Dennis roundabout in Guildford and we have carried out a consultation (ending on 4 April) on the use of cameras in the bus lanes on Woking Road, just north of the A3 underpass, and in Onslow Street, near the Friary Centre, in Guildford. These will be the first locations where we will trial the new powers and measure their effectiveness at improving compliance, reducing congestion and improving journey times.
HGV Watch
Last year, we also started monitoring the movements of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) where there are weight restrictions in place and our HGV Watch scheme is now in place to check compliance levels and see whether camera enforcement could potentially be used to stop lorries being driven along unsuitable routes.
