Tickets for driving in neighborhoods with little traffic increased 30% last year. Can you appeal?
- More and more drivers receive tickets for driving in low-traffic neighborhoods
- The average driver is fined between £41 and £75, depending on the LTN.
More and more motorists are being ticketed for driving in low-traffic neighborhoods (LTNs), and the number of tickets will increase 30 percent by 2022.
The LTN are areas managed by the council in which the movement of cars, vans and trucks is discouraged.
The aim is to make neighborhoods less polluted and encourage people to use healthier means of transport, such as walking and cycling.
This is done by using barriers, planters and traffic signs to block the roads, as well as cameras, depending on the LTN.
Growing trend: there are more than 100 LTNs in operation across the country
But more and more drivers are being ticketed for driving on an LTN, according to research by auto insurer Churchill Motor Insurance.
UK drivers received 674,732 LTN tickets in 2022, up 30 per cent from 519,780 in 2021.
This year motorists have already paid 264,920 LTN tickets between January and May.
The total value of LTN fines issued was £39.2 million in 2021, £40.8 million in 2022 and £10.9 million in the first five months of 2023.
The median fine for driving on an LTN was £75.40 in 2021, £60.40 in 2022 and £41.14 in 2023.
The reason for the increase is a huge increase in the number of councils creating LTNs, according to Churchill.
It found that at least 21 councils operated LTN in 2022 and 2023: 12 more councils than in 2021.
As a result, by 2023 there will be 103 permanent LTNs in operation, up from 87 in 2021.
The majority of LTNs are in London, with the Islington Borough having 29 LTNs, more than any other council providing data.
Outside of London, LTNs have been introduced in Derby, Newcastle, Oxfordshire, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Rochdale, Sheffield, Wigan, Hertfordshire, Nottingham and Trafford.
| Council | 2022 LTN number | Value of the fines |
|---|---|---|
| islington | 138,722 | £5.2 million |
| Hounslow | 115,477 | £11 million |
| Lambeth | 99,201 | £10 million |
| Waltham Forest | 61,339 | £2.6 million |
| haringey | 60,186 | £2.5 million |
| healing | 59,002 | £3.4 million |
| lewisham | 41,313 | £2.4 million |
| enfield | 19,571 | £913,073 |
| Oxfordshire DC | 16,530 | £434,610 |
| Greenwich | 10,406 | £596,502 |
| Source: Churchill Auto Insurance | ||
In July, the Government announced plans to initiate a new review of the deployment of LTNs.
Opponents of LTNs argue that the plans unfairly penalize motorists and cause more congestion.
Churchill Motor Insurance director Nicholas Mantel said: “Low traffic neighborhoods are a controversial issue and our research shows the number of drivers affected is increasing.”
‘More municipalities are implementing programs in their areas and the number of individual LTNs is also increasing.
“When driving in major cities and towns, motorists should try to keep their sat navs up to date and watch for new road signs to avoid getting caught driving new LTNs.”
Can I appeal an LTN ticket?
If you think you have been unfairly fined for entering an LTN, you can appeal.
The first step is to appeal to the town hall that imposed the fine.
If that doesn’t work, drivers have to go to the Traffic Sanctions Court.
This is a free service for motorists handling complaints with all local authorities in Wales and England, except London.
Similar dispute services (the Scottish Parking and Bus Lane Court and the London Courts) exist for drivers in Scotland and the capital.
