Manchester City Council has fined drivers £465,555 for yellow box traffic violations in 18 months.
Since November 2023, the council has enforced ‘moving traffic contraventions’ in seven different locations around the city.
A moving traffic contravention can be anything from entering a bus lane, stopping in a yellow box, driving down a restricted road, or performing a U turn where they are not permitted.
The locations are monitored by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, with five of the locations featuring yellow boxes – where drivers are not permitted to stop in the box at any time, and two roads where right turns are prohibited.
The seven locations across the city have amassed £568,245 in fines from drivers, but 81% of this total has come from yellow box restrictions.
The yellow box at Kirkmanshulme Lane junction has brought in £249,225 alone since April 2024.
Previously, moving traffic contraventions were the responsibility of the police to enforce, but after a public consultation MCC were granted the power to enforce them on a trial basis in late 2022.
The seven sites MCC operate ANPR cameras and the contraventions in place:
- Ashton Old Road/Chancellor Lane/Fairfield Street – Yellow box and no right turn
- Cheetham Hill Road/Elizabeth Street – No right turn
- Great Ancoats Street/Oldham Road/Oldham Street – Yellow box
- Kirkmanshulme Lane / Mount Road – Mandatory left turn and yellow box
- Palatine Road Junction With Princess Parkway – Yellow box
- M56 Junction 6 / Wilmslow Road – No right turn and no U-turns
- Stockport Road junction with Dickenson Road and Stanley Grove – Yellow box and no right turns
The M.E.N reported Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham recently spoke at the UKREiiF conference in Leeds about the need for Greater Manchester councils to have greater control over yellow boxes.
Burnham said: “We want more control of the road network like civil enforcement of yellow box junctions that London has had for decades.
“They might seem small but they are not to us. The Bee Network will not work if we do not get roads right.”
Neighbouring councils, Bolton, Bury, and Stockport Metropolitan Borough were granted the power to enforce moving traffic contraventions in November last year.
Director of the Association of British Drivers Brian MacDowall said: “Moving traffic violations have become, along with increasing numbers of bus lanes, the latest and most lucrative weapon in the ever continuing war against the motorist.
Macdowall also described the cameras as a “money spinning operation” for the council and suggested that the budget pressures many local authorities find themselves under could also be a factor.
He said: “More stretches of road have become subject to these regulations.The road layouts are often unclear; it’s all too easy to stray into these zones, getting fined in the process.
A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “The implementation of cameras which allow us to monitor drivers which break the rules of the road has been an effective tool for the Council when it comes to improving safety and traffic flows.
“Blocking yellow junction boxes has always been prohibited, it causes delays for other drivers and causes increased delays for other road users. We have found that the majority of people have been supportive of the Council trying to reduce the instances of inconsiderate driving.
“Areas where cameras are in effect will be clearly signposted, however if a motorist believes they have been fined incorrectly they are entitled to appeal the decision.”
Featured image: Manchester, Great Ancoats Street by David Dixon @ Wikimedia Commons
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