Enforcing moving traffic offences

Traffic Management Act 2004 - Part 6

We are planning to use new powers, soon to be approved by Parliament, to improve safety and reduce congestion by enforcing traffic contraventions, such as:

• driving through a 'No Entry' sign
• turning left or right when instructed not to do so (making banned turns)
• entering yellow box junctions when the exit is not clear
• driving where and when motor vehicles are prohibited
• driving on routes that are for buses and taxis only.

These powers form Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, which allows highway authorities outside of London to enforce moving traffic offences. However, the legislation has never been introduced to Parliament and these moving traffic contraventions can only be enforced by the police under criminal law.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced in 2020 that they would be fully enacting the remaining elements of the Traffic Management Act, permitting local highway authorities outside of London to use approved camera devices to enforce moving traffic contraventions.

We will be preparing for these powers to make our roads safer and less congested. Our first step is to apply to the Department for Transport to be included in the list of authorities that can enforce key highway restrictions or prohibitions.

Once the legislation has been passed by Parliament, these powers will be granted to Kent County Council to be used across Kent.

We will use the latest Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to identify drivers that break the law, and a penalty charge notice (PCN) will be issued. We aim to use these enforcement powers to:

• increase the number of drivers complying with the rules of the road
• improve road safety
• tackle congestion issues.