FURIOUS drivers have uncovered more data to support claims of a ‘revenue-raising culture’ in Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s traffic department, as it emerged more junctions will be covered by fine-increasing cameras.
Last week the Chronicle reported how the authority raises millions of pounds through penalty charge notices (PCNs) served on motorists caught by sophisticated CCTV at junctions, and uncovered staff exchanging celebratory emails when they met ticket targets.
The notorious yellow box junction at Bagleys Lane in Fulham was responsible for nearly £3million in fines last year, but tales of woe at other junctions began to emerge this week, as one reader discovered the council raised just under £13m from nearly 227,000 PCNs in 2012/13.
And it has emerged six more junctions are to be covered by cameras, leading to suspicions the council has no intention of going easy on errant drivers.
The new data has been unearthed by reader David Lindsay, who sent a series of questions under the Freedom of Information Act regarding a ‘no right turn’ sign at the junction of Bloemfontein Road and Bryony Road in Shepherd’s Bush.
Just under 3,000 drivers were caught there in the past financial year, raising more than £173,000 – up from 1,600 tickets and £102,000 the previous year as a result of installing a camera with a better zoom in March last year.
Drivers complained the sign showing the restriction was badly obscured so the council moved it.
Prohibited turn offences across the borough produced more than £472,000 in fines during the last financial year.
Other readers wrote to complain about being unfairly targeted for performing a U-turn at Gliddon Road, including one man who won an appeal against his fine.
Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter, himself fined at Bloemfontein Road, was scathing of the latest figures and said the council was trapping motorists.
“It’s a fact of life that drivers, especially in London, have to obey a whole host of traffic and parking rules and regulations or risk heavy fines,” he said.
“But what Hammersmith and Fulham are doing is tricking motorists, manipulating the system and using entrapment to rake in millions of pounds every year.”
The council insists it uses cameras to improve traffic flow – although it was unable to produce figures to support that claim – and says its policies have helped reduce rush-hour congestion by 13.5 per cent across the borough.
Regarding the junction at Bloemfontein Road, head of transport Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler said the ‘signage meets legal requirements’, which was confirmed by an independent adjudicator.
Further cameras planned
Chancellors Road (yellow box)
St Dunstan’s Road (yellow box)
Greyhound Road (banned right turns)
Averill Street (banned right turns)
Lillie Road (yellow box)
New Kings Road (yellow box)
Traffic fines by numbers
12,949,214 - The amount of money received by the council from traffic and parking fines in 2012/13
7,637,635 - Amount received over the same period for parking fines
226,655 - The number of tickets for all offences issued over that timescale
62,180 - Increase in tickets for 'moving' traffic offences between 2007-2012
7,719 - Tickets given for making prohibited turns last financial year
1,660 - Increase in number of tickets over 12-month period for Bloemfontein prohibited turn
9 - Successful appeals for fines at the junction
