Croydon Council used illegal low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) as a “fat cash cow” and will now refund motorists millions of pounds in fines. The council was ordered to scrap six LTNs after a High Court judge ruled that its primary motivation was to generate cash rather than reap “relatively modest” environmental benefits, according to the Daily Telegraph.
It has now agreed not to appeal against the judgment and will scrap the schemes, which close roads to out-of-borough drivers.
The south London authority, which has been repeatedly declared effectively bankrupt, will pay back fines issued over two years from March 2024.
The total money owed is expected to run into millions of pounds. Council documents showed that town hall bosses expected to make a £10.7m surplus from fines if the six LTN schemes had operated from 2023 to 2027.
However, a Freedom of Information request revealed that CCTV enforcement of the LTNs had raised £1.4m for the council in just one month.
Jason Perry, the borough’s Conservative mayor, said the “important thing” was to set up an “easy process” for motorists to claim back their money. The council will write to people it has fined to explain ways they can claim back up to £160 per penalty charge notice.
In 2020, Croydon council began a trial of the LTNs, which were made permanent four years later.
Residents brought a judicial review, claiming the council only wanted the scheme to raise money to plug a financial black hole.
In his 33-page ruling, Mr Justice Pepperall concluded he was satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, “the dominant purpose” of the schemes was “the need to safeguard the revenue raised by enforcement”.
The judge’s ruling cited a key 2024 article in The Telegraph in which the mayor admitted that he could not honour an election pledge to scrap the LTNs because “£20m of future income would have to be replaced”.
Mr Justice Pepperall noted how the mayor showed an “apparent lack of public enthusiasm for the road safety or health case for these schemes” and “his hands [were] being tied by budgetary considerations”.
He stated that it would be a “misuse” of the Road Traffic Act 1984 if changes to any road layout were carried out to raise money.
(Picture: TfL)
