20 Mph Enforcement Begins Soon on Two Local Roads
Cameras in place on Wimbledon Park Road and Priory Lane
Priory Lane in Roehampton. Picture: Google Streetview
December 2, 2022
Wandsworth Council has become the first in the country to set up speed cameras to fine drivers breaking 20mph speed limits.
The borough has launched the landmark scheme which will see the authority hand out £130 fines to motorists breaking the rules on two of the borough’s busiest roads.
The trial scheme will initially last for eight months on Wimbledon Park Road and Priory Lane. The move could be made permanent and extended to other roads in Wandsworth and rolled out across the capital if successful.
Drivers caught breaking the 20mph speed limit will face up to £130 fines which will be slashed to £65 if the fixed penalty charge is paid in 14 days.
It is understood in the first few days of operation drivers exceeding the limit may initially just receive a warning letter but fines start to be issued before the end of the year.
Met Police have, until now, fined London drivers for breaking speed limits but the council decided to step in after revealing most of the complaints it receives are about motorists breaching the rules on quieter residential streets. The local authority added that the police tend to concentrate on main roads and dual carriageways.
Under the pilot, drivers caught by the council also won’t have points added to their licence or be made to go to a speed awareness course.
A fresh traffic survey by the council indicated 52per cent of vehicles exceed 20mph on Wimbledon Park Road.
A statement on the council’s website said, “Since the introduction of a borough-wide 20mph speed limit, we regularly receive residents’ feedback concerning speeding vehicles, therefore we are taking a proactive approach through this enforcement pilot to encourage speed compliance and ultimately road safety.”
It added, “Income from traffic enforcement is ringfenced for transport-related projects and is reinvested into the transport infrastructure, for example, highway maintenance that supports the community at large and concessionary travel which offers free bus and Tube travel for elderly and disabled residents.”
Charlotte Lillywhite - Local Democracy Reporter