TfL increases fines on London’s red routes to £160

Transport for London (TfL) will increase the maximum fine handed out for red route contraventions to £160, from January 17.

A public consultation for the proposals was held between August 5 and September 19 ,2021.

The maximum penalty charge notice (PCN) for red route contraventions was £130, a fee that was set in 2011.

TfL says the higher fine level will be a more effective deterrent and will, over time, lead to a “reduced level of contraventions and help to keep the road network safe for everyone”.

The penalty charge will be reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days and increased by 50% if paid after 28 days. 

The increase brings the charges in line with the penalties for non-payment of the Congestion Charge and the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, which are also currently set at £160.

TfL says any revenue raised through  penalty notices is invested back into London's transport network, which includes investing in its road network to improve safety for all road users.  

There was a 26% increase in the number of PCNs issued for parking, loading, bus lane and moving traffic offences between 2016 and 2019.

Red routes make up 5% of roads but carry 30% of the traffic. Stopping is generally prohibited on these roads, outside of designated locations and times clearly marked by signs. 

TfL says failing to follow the rules and signs at junctions creates safety risks, disrupts traffic and creates congestion.

Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security, said: “We are committed to keeping London moving safely and efficiently, and compliance on the Transport for London Road Network is essential in achieving those aims. Non-compliance impacts London’s air quality, creates safety risks, disrupts traffic and creates congestion for everyone.

"Increasing the penalty charge for contraventions on our road network in line with inflation will provide a more effective deterrent to drivers and improve the safety and reliability of the network.”   

TfL also recently announced that it intends to make its trial of 24-hour bus lanes permanent, after a trial found that extending bus lane hours on London’s busiest roads cut journey times and helped reliability, making bus use more attractive and helping to encourage more Londoners onto buses. 

Natalie Chapman, head of policy for the south at Logistics UK, said: “Logistics businesses need road and kerbside access to deliver the essential items businesses and consumers in the capital need.

"Transport for London (TfL) has failed to identify in its research whether some businesses are receiving repeat fines due to the lack of safe and legal spots to load and unload deliveries that their livelihoods depend on.

"Without road design in place that supports logistics, this charge level increase will not provide the deterrent TfL intends, it will simply penalise some essential delivery and servicing activities.

"The costs of doing business in the capital are increasing already across the board, for example, the Congestion Charge is not returning back to its lower pre-pandemic level as was expected; now is not the time to add yet another cost without a clear strategy, particularly while London and the rest of the UK recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.”