Motor Lawyers Blog – Motoring News

The Highway, E1, has never been the easiest access to and from London with 4 speed cameras within the space of a quarter of a mile and a further 6 cameras in the adjacent Limehouse Link. However, motorists, particular motorcyclists, have also recently been subject to mobile checks which the Police have been carrying out at the junction of Ensign Way, adjacent to the News International buildings.

These checks are becoming increasingly common with the Police not only targeting speeding motorists, but also any vehicle that encroaches the hatch markings.

Users of the road should be alert to the fact that fixed penalties are being handed out in large numbers as the Police seek to enforce compliance on one of the busiest routes into the City.

Motor Lawyers have noticed a large increase in enquiries over the last few days, particularly from motorcyclists who believe that they are entitled to use the hatch markings on the basis that it is bordered by broken white lines.

Rule 130 of the Highway Code states that:

Chevrons bordered by broken white lines are there to separate traffic lanes and should not be entered “unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so”. 

Consequently, using them to overtake slow moving traffic is not “necessary” and will result in 3 penalty points and a £60 fine.

Related Legal Links
Speeding Offences
Fixed Penalty Notice

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The Mayor of London has released plans to increase, to £25.00, the daily charge for G-Band vehicles to enter the London Congestion Charge Zone.

The proposal is that from the 28 October 2008 any car that produces more than 225g of CO₂ per kilometre will pay the £25.00 premium charge, compared to the current £8.00 daily rate. Generally speaking, this will affect more or less all vehicles with engines of 3 litres or more and older vehicles that are less environmentally efficient. 

Cars that fall within bands A and B would be exempt on the basis that they produce emissions of 120g of CO₂ per kilometre. The A-G Band is based on the department of transport emissions scale.

The other most pertinent parts of the proposals are that residents within the zone would lose completely their discount if they own a Band G vehicle. Those that run hybrid Band G vehicles would not have to pay the charge until 2010 at which point, the full £25 daily rate would be imposed.

Given that there will be an election in advance of the implementation date, the proposals could be drastically altered and/or scrapped completely should there be a change of office.

CO₂  Charging - Transport for London
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/7394.aspx

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The current analogue Speed Cameras in the Variable Speed Limit section of the M25 near Heathrow Airport (Junctions 10-15) are going digital from the 15 February 2008.

The activation limit will also be lowered from around 93 mph to 80 mph, in line with the ACPO guidelines, when variable limits are not in operation.

Related Legal Link
Speeding Offences

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Motor Lawyers have received numerous enquiries concerning speed cameras installed in the Blackwall Tunnel.  Transport for London have been testing “Wi-Fi” cameras in the Northbound tunnel since the middle of November.  Cameras are monitoring speeds along the north bound section of the tunnel, from the southern approach to the junction with the A13.

Although data is being compiled, it will not be used for prosecution purposes as the equipment is not yet Home Office approved.  However, if the test is successful, we assume that as with the Limehouse Link, the cameras will simply be left in situ and then used for enforcement purposes. 

The cameras are the latest in a series of new developments.  Wi-Fi enabled, it is believed that they are capable of capturing images over a much greater distance by linking to other networked cameras with the result that motorists can be timed and speed calculated over substantially greater areas than was previously possible.  This would also eliminate the potential problem of drivers changing lanes etc, as the identity of the vehicle will be monitored for much longer. 

It is believed that if the test is successful, similar technology can be used to enforce 20 mph zones in residential areas as vehicles would be timed entering and leaving the zones and at various points within the zone itself with all cameras linking to a central computer.

Related Legal Link
Speeding Offences

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