Plans to increase London Red Route PCNs, which would have created havoc for van fleets, have been blocked by the Transport Secretary.
Imposed on vehicles which stop or park on some of the capital’s main arterial routes, the penalties were expected to increase from £130 to £160 following plans announced by Transport for London last December.
However, the Transport Secretary has written to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to say the rises would be ‘excessive’ and there is no evidence to support TfL’s claim that the current fine levels for penalty charge notices are no longer working.
The decision to scrap the plans was announced by the Freight Transport Association (FTA), which said it could not see any evidence to show that increasing the fines in this way would have reduced illegal stopping.
FTA’s head of urban policy, Natalie Chapman said: “TfL’s own research points to a growth in repeat offending, which means many of the vehicles getting these penalty notices are likely to be trucks and vans. They need to park on red routes to complete vital collections and deliveries. In many cases, there is simply nowhere else for drivers to stop legally.
“No responsible truck operator wants to break the law, and keeping Red Routes moving is in everyone’s interests. FTA is keen to work with TfL to find a solution to these problems. Freight is the Capital’s lifeline and the companies which keep the city moving should not be penalised for doing a fantastic job under difficult circumstances.”
