The Government is considering giving local councils new powers to help improve roads for both cyclists and pedestrians.

The new rules would see drivers who are caught in cycle lanes or box junctions facing automatic civil penalties which are currently enforced by police. The money generated from these fines would then go on to fund traffic-reducing measures, says the RAC.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere said that the Government is looking into giving local councils more traffic enforcement powers under the 2004 Traffic Management Act.

Local authorities in London have already been given these powers and issue more than a million penalty notices each year.

However, when asked if the powers are to be extended beyond the capital, Baroness Vere said: “We are giving thought to the role these powers could play in helping councils to deliver the transport recovery plans.”

The Transport Management Act 2004 (section 6) includes violations such as waiting in box junctions and driving in cycle lanes as well as driving in the wrong direction on one-way streets.