London Council Used Six Illegally Created LTNs as “Cash Cow” to Rake in Millions From Motorists
Six low traffic neighbourhoods in south London introduced during Covid have been ruled “unlawful” by a High Court judge as they were illegally created to rake in millions of pounds in fines from motorists. The Mail has more.
Croydon Council, which has declared effective bankruptcy three times since 2020, has been accused of using the low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) as a “fat cash cow” to plug its financial black hole.
On Wednesday, Mr Justice Pepperall concluded the local authority used the “relatively modest” benefits of LTNs to justify the “enormous revenue” it would make in fines.
The LTNs were first trialled by Croydon Council in 2020, and were permanently put in place four years later. They aim to reduce traffic in residential areas by using cameras, planters or lockable bollards.
However, local residents who opposed the illegal schemes brought forth a judicial review on them, stating the council wanted LTNs because they were projected to bring in more than £10 million in fines.
Mr Justice Pepperall quashed the legal orders that Croydon Council had implemented to make the LTNs permanent.
In his 34-page judgment, he said: “I am satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the dominant purpose for these [traffic] orders making the schemes permanent was the need to safeguard the revenue raised by enforcement. Such purpose was unlawful, and I therefore quash the orders.”
Worth reading in full.
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Thank God there is at least one sane judge left in the UK. Most of them have gone loopy-lu.
Most of them have been compromised / bought.
Blackmailed
They’ll get it overturned on appeal, and the taxpayer will pay the appeal costs!
Presumably the costs of returning the illegal fines will bankrupt the Council yet again.
Highway Robbery. Literally.
I haven’t read the full article so don’t know if it mentioned that Labour controls Croydon Council.
Most councils that end up bankrupt are controlled by Labour, socialists have always believed that money grows on trees, although installing LTNs, no doubt after an extensive public consultation where the majority of respondents were opposed to them, could also have happened if the council was controlled by the Greens or Lib Dems.
I can drive down your street but you can’t drive down mine! Where’s the social justice in that? Only a warped mind could have come up with the idea of stealing public highways from the public. Get rid of all LTNs.
The senior Council officials/councillors who promoted and implemented the illegal LTNs should be prosecuted.
Will all of those motorists get a refund?
I would have thought a ‘public right of way’ was enshrined in law.
It is but the Highway Authority has the right to control what vehicles can use a public highway which is what the streets are. Changing the status of a right of way is not a quick process which is how it should be.
Whenever I see these LTN closures I am left wondering two things. Why has nobody got a pallet truck and moved them out of the way as they all look like they can be moved by one. And they are all made of wood that my understanding says burns well particularly when soaked with oil and diesel, so why aren’t they.