Drivers can stop councils from taking advantage of PCN fines - but time is running out
Motorists are running out of time to have their say on plans to stop councils from profiteering around driving fines.
Drivers have just days left to have their say over restricting council powers to benefit from issuing hefty motoring fines to road users.
A new call for evidence is demanding responses from industry experts and drivers with possible rule changes on the table.
It comes after the Government's Plan for Drivers promised action to raise concerns about councils authorities to deal with motorists.
According to the Department for Transport, some drivers are “concerned” that local authorities use PCNs too liberally.
There are fears that officials use penalties simply to raise revenue instead of making roads safer.
According to GOV.UK, responses to the call for evidence will help to inform possible policy proposals going forward.
Meanwhile, the information could also help explore options to restrict a local authority’s ability to generate surplus income.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper previously claimed driving fines should not be “an alternative way” for councils to secure funds.
He said: “Councils have powers to enforce traffic regulations in order to ensure that our roads are safe for all users and that people can move about without undue interference.
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“They are not an alternative way for local councillors to raise taxes, or decide who gets to travel where.
“This call for evidence looks at an issue that even good councils, doing the right thing, are sometimes accused of – the suggestion that traffic management measures with penalty fees attached are there to raise money from motorists more than anything else.”
The consultation began back in March and will run until 11:59pm on May 25, 2024 meaning respondents have just days to get their views heard.
London boroughs and 52 councils outside the capital have powers to issue motoring fines to road users.
However, in London alone, more than seven million PCNs were issued in the year ending March 2022.
A staggering 40,000 drivers appealed the charge although just 43 percent of these charges were later revoked.
Mr Harper added: “Should government remove any suggestion there is a 'profit motive' for local councils – such as by requiring any surpluses that councils might generate from new charges to be repaid to His Majesty’s Treasury – after the costs of enforcement have been repaid?
“This seems an appealing solution – and is effectively how speeding fines operate already – but are there unexpected considerations that we should be considering?”