Two controversial yellow box junctions in Kingston-upon-Thamnes that brought in more than £450,000 in just eight months have been ruled “legally compliant”. Kingston Council is not set to make any changes to the layout or enforcement of the junctions on Kingston Road, in New Malden, despite concerns from residents and businesses that they operate as a “cash cow”, says the Standard.
Council officers investigated the junctions after three councillors requested a special meeting to discuss concerns they had raised.
The officers said in a new report they had found the layout and enforcement of the yellow boxes to be “legally compliant and proportionate”.
Officers recommended the layout of the junctions be maintained, but that separate enforcement data on each should be provided going forward to improve transparency. A special meeting of the council’s New and Old Malden Neighbourhood Committee will vote on these recommendations on January 22.
The yellow boxes on Kingston Road, at its junctions with Elm Road and Westbury Road, have been operating since at least 2015. Camera enforcement of the yellow box junctions began in 2020.
This means drivers who stop in the yellow grid when their exit is not clear, and they are not waiting to turn right, are automatically slapped with a fine of £160. The fine is slashed to £80 if it is paid in 14 days.
Independent councillors James Giles, Yvonne Tracey and Kamala Kugan requested a meeting after data from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed the authority dished out 6,568 penalty charge notices (PCNs) to drivers who had stopped in the yellow box junctions from January to August last year. This generated roughly £451,405, which they said equated to around £2,000 per day.
The councillors said residents and businesses had reported concerns about the junctions, claiming they operated as a “cash cow” rather than a proportionate traffic measure. But the report by council officers said the main aim of the measures was to improve road safety and traffic flow.
(Picture: Mapillary)
