Red Route Enforcement
Enforcement is carried out by several different methods.
Firstly there are literally hundreds of roadside cameras on red routes. These move round constantly and usually a camera will enforce many different types of restrictions in neighbouring roads. These cameras are usually high up on poles and sometimes they are little round black cameras attached to lamp posts A controller seeing an offence will issue a penalty charge notice (pcn) by post. The first that you will know that you have been caught is when you receive the penalty charge notice in the post. This, in our opinion, places you at a disadvantage immediately. This is because if you return to your vehicle and there is a PCN on your windscreen you can immediately look around at the signage (or lack of it) and make notes or take photographs to support an appeal. Of course this is not as easy when you receive a penalty charge notice a few days later. Statutory guidance issued to all enforcing authorities in March 2007 is very clear. – CCTV cameras should not be used for parking enforcement if it is practical to use civil enforcement offers (traffic wardens). The example given is that CCTV enforcement could be used on a very fast road with no pavements where it is not practical or safe to have civil enforcement officers. Hopefully adjudicators will uphold appeals on this basis which will render such PCNs invalid. There are very few roads with parking restrictions which do not have pavements.
Transport for London still enforce using traditional Traffic wardens or “community support officers” These are people working for the metropolitan police. In our experience they are a little friendlier and not quite so obsessed at issuing tickets as parking attendants who work for local authorities. However they use CCTV extensively.
Moped based traffic wardens. These people can move quickly along red routes.
The fine for illegal parking on red routes increased to £120 from July 2007.
Other offences enforced on red routes include yellow box, no turn, bus lane violations and failing to comply with a sign for example a white arrow on a blue background. For details on these offences then please see our comprehensive section on moving traffic offences.
Next: Received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) form Transport For London?
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