Warning as drivers could face council fines for breaking minor road rules – will it affect where you live?
A change in government policy over how common road infringements are dealt with, could mean drivers facing more fines in the future.
The Department for Transport is granting councils responsibility for managing minor traffic offences - which could see a crackdown on any such breaches.
Drivers may face extra charges for contravening road rules such as waiting in yellow boxes, wrong turns and driving the incorrect way on a one-way street.
Some councils have already begun applying for special powers from the DfT which would see them be able to punish motorists for making these common errors on the roads.
Walsall Council looks to have been first out of the blocks - lodging an application in January, with the new powers "likely to become available" in July.
Other local authorities potentially looking to apply for the right to fine drivers include Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton, but the new rules could open council floodgates around the country.
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Most drivers generally escape infringements such as waiting in yellow marked boxes and making wrong turns as police don't have enough resources to implement the rules.
But with the handover of power to local councils it could see a more stringent approach towards such offences.
The move is likely to draw criticism that local authorities will use the new powers simply as a revenue raiser, although councils will probably counter with concerns over general road safety.
However it pans out, drivers will likely have to face 'spy' cars or wardens patrolling hotspot areas, but details of how rules would be enforced have yet to be confirmed.
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Walsall Council told : “Walsall Council submitted its application to the Department for Transport in January 2023. The department will now consider this application, along with others received from councils across England, over the coming months.
"It is currently anticipated that the designation order will be processed through the appropriate parliamentary procedures in the summer, with the powers likely to become available in July 2023.”
