A single roadside camera in London has issued what is believed to be a record number of fines to offending motorists trying to visit one of the capital’s most famous shopping streets. According to data by The Telegraph, a camera near King’s Road in Chelsea issued no fewer than 851 fines to drivers entering the low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) from outside of the borough in the space of 24 hours, on May 12, 2024.
The camera faces north-west on Imperial Road. Another camera, facing south-east on the same road, is believed to have issued the second highest number of fines, with 733 motorists being issued a penalty charge notice on June 14. A spokesperson for the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, who operates the South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood, noted that the penalties are in place to encourage more visitors to use public transport to access its attractions. They explained: “The number of fines issued for driving through our Clean Air Neighbourhood tumbled, yet again last year as more and more drivers changed their behaviour to comply with the cameras. This demonstrates the ongoing success of a project which sees 15,000 fewer cars a day from outside the borough using our residential streets as commuter cut-throughs.”
Introduced in July 2020, the South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood spans across the two areas on either side of Wandsworth Bridge Road in a bid to discourage drivers from outside the borough from using residential streets to access attractions such as King’s Road and Chelsea Football Club.
Offending motorists are spotted with a network of 23 cameras issuing an average of 290 PCNs per day, which stand at £130 per offence.
With the council’s cameras having issued 212,615 fines during 2024, the South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood could have generated more than £27million over the 12-month period.
Whilst the council claims that the cameras have helped to reduce traffic and pollution in the area, Jose Alfonso, Conservative councillor for Hammersmith and Fulham, raised concerns that it has also deterred those from outside the area from visiting local businesses.
He added: “When the South Fulham traffic schemes were introduced, we were clear about the detrimental impact they would have on business.
“These record fines during peak periods throughout the year will only lead to people not wanting to enjoy our fantastic and unique local businesses.”
LTNs are growing in popularity among parts of large cities, with various other London boroughs, including Camden, Hounslow, and Waltham all enforcing different measures to improve air quality on residential streets.
In addition to monitoring traffic from outside of the borough, measures include blocking off the entrances to roads for cars and motorcycles, and temporary bans on streets at certain times of the day.
Whilst many residents support LTNs in a bid to reduce air and noise pollution from ‘rat running’ vehicles attempting to beat the traffic on main roads, others have warned that they are worsening air quality elsewhere and resulting in longer commuting times for private vehicle owners and bus users.