Sadiq Khan has been accused of hitting drivers with thousands of wrongful speeding penalties with as many as 66,000 incorrect fines possibly handed out. The Mayor of London has vetoed an independent investigation into a temporary speed limit rule that may have unfairly penalised road users. Transport for London (TfL) used a traffic order to change the speed limits on the A20 between Sidcup and Swanley, with speeds dropping from 70mph to 40mph.
Some drivers challenged their fines, with TfL and the Met Police reportedly claiming that the speed limit had been lawfully updated. However, just last month a court acquitted a driver of speeding after a document marked “TfL RESTRICTED” showed that the official who signed the order did not have the authority to change the rule.
The case could now lead to further legal action with as many as 66,000 drivers understood to be affected. The problem was brought up at a London Assembly meeting last year, where Mr Khan was urged to undertake an independent investigation into the issue. However, this has never happened.
Thomas Turrell, the London Assembly Conservatives’ transport spokesman, claimed that “thousands of motorists have been sacrificed on the altar of the mayor’s inability to admit that a mistake has been made”. Mr Turrell added: “I and others have called on the Mayor, TfL, the Department of Transport and other authorities to investigate this scandal, and they have repeatedly resisted. Now we find out that they likely knew, and conspired to cover up the fault in the hope that it would go away.”
However, officials have fought back, with TfL explaining that it was incorrect to suggest that TfL or its staff misled the courts or anybody else in this case. TfL claims that suggestions that evidence or information was improperly withheld were also false.
TfL said: “We remain confident that that “We enforcement enforcement of the speed limit here was necessary, given the safety risks, and we will be resisting forthcoming appeals challenging our enforcement action.
“While we are aware aware “While of this Crown Court ruling, we understand that it does not set a binding precedent on any other cases and we will be supporting the Metropolitan Police in resisting the upcoming appeals. Safety is our number one priority and we temporarily introduced a 40mph speed limit on the A20 Sidcup Road in response to a number of serious incidents caused by ongoing flooding issues, which posed a risk to life. After we repaired and resurfaced the road, the temporary speed restriction was removed.”
The Metropolitan Police has insisted that it had not colluded with TfL or other public bodies to cover up any evidence that could have resulted in people being cleared.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Mayor told The Express: “It is incorrect to suggest that the Mayor or TfL misled anybody in relation to these fines, and TfL remains confident that enforcement of the speed limit here was necessary given the safety risks. No wrongdoing was alleged by the court, traffic regulation orders were made lawfully, and all TfL staff acted in accordance with authorisation.”
The Express has contacted TfL for further comment.
