Council moves forward with camera enforcement of moving traffic violations

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 14 September approved applying to the Secretary of State for Transport, for the Borough to be designated as a civil enforcement area, for the enforcement of moving traffic contraventions and the adoption of enforcement powers using ANPR cameras.

Councillor Karen Shore, The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, said: “This is not about introducing new restrictions. The purpose of these powers is to better enforce existing restrictions, helping to keep local roads moving and make our air cleaner. 

“This application is to give the Council powers to make the borough’s roads safer and less congested for all road users.

“In England, contraventions are currently largely enforced by the police except in London where councils already have these powers.

“Members of the Council’s Scrutiny committee will be involved in reviewing the impact of a new enforcement system, and there will be opportunities to consider other road safety hotspots in the future, that are supported by the public.”

The new cameras, planned for three Chester locations and one Ellesmere Port location would capture moving vehicles that break the rules and Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) could then be issued to the owner of the vehicle. Cabinet agreed the penalty charge level to be set at £70 for a moving traffic contravention (reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days).

The locations prioritised for enforcement are:

• Junction of Nuns Road and New Crane Street, Chester
  No right turn into Nuns Road; Monday to Friday between 4.30pm and 6pm
• Junction of Nuns Road and Grosvenor Road, Chester
  Must turn left into Grosvenor Road; Anytime
• Junction of Canal Street and Northgate Street, Chester
  No right turn into Northgate Street; Anytime
• Civic Way, Ellesmere Port
  No entry except buses; Anytime

Drivers would only be issued with a PCN on their second offence during the first six months the cameras are in operation.  First offences would then result in fines after that period.

The Council worked in partnership with Cheshire Police to identify a list of 13 locations potentially suitable for enforcement using ANPR camera technology. The locations considered were congestion hotspots and areas recording accidents and near misses.

Traffic surveys were carried out in May and June 2022 to record the level of traffic contraventions at all 13 locations over a two-day period. 

The list of potential locations was shared during a 12-week public consultation between 16 March and 8 June.

The Government’s Department for Transport’s (DfT) has instigated Part Six of the Traffic Management Act 2004.  This gives local authorities enforcement powers over contraventions such as making banned turns and stopping in yellow boxes at junctions.