Drivers are being warned they could face £70 fines when new traffic restrictions come into force later this month.
Drivers could face £70 fines this month with new traffic rules (Image: Getty)
Drivers are being warned they could face £70 fines when new traffic rules come into force in a major UK city later this month. Oxford’s new traffic filter trial will begin on Monday, September 28, replacing the temporary congestion charge currently operating across the city.
Under the new system, cars without a valid permit will be restricted from passing through six traffic filter points during their operating hours. The filters will be enforced using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras rather than physical barriers.
Drivers who pass through a filter without a valid permit could receive a £70 penalty charge notice, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
However, during the first six months of the trial, motorists will receive a warning notice for their first contravention rather than a fine. Further breaches could result in a penalty. The filters will be located on Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street, Thames Street, Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way.
Restrictions at Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street and Thames Street will operate between 7am and 7pm every day.
Those on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way will operate Monday to Saturday between 7am and 9am and again from 3pm until 6pm.
The rules apply to cars and motorhomes classed as M1 vehicles, including electric cars. Other vehicles, including vans, motorbikes, mopeds, buses and lorries, can travel through the filters without a permit.
The new scheme will also bring an end to the option for drivers to pay the current £5 temporary congestion charge to pass through the six locations.
Motorists will still be able to reach every part of Oxford by car without travelling through a traffic filter, although some may need to use an alternative route.
People who already have a temporary congestion charge permit will generally have it transferred automatically to the new system, although some central area permits are being withdrawn.
The trial can run for up to 18 months, with a six-month public consultation beginning when the scheme launches.