Forum Topic

'Highway Robbery' in Hammersmith

In his defence of the council's policy on fines for traffic violations Nick Botterill claims that the number of PCNs issued is down by 25% and therefore it is working to keep roads clear (see front page). Yet the only figures I could find show that the number of fines issued is up from 27,000 in 2007 to 81,000 in 2012.He also states that it is a small minority of motorists who are fined but with 29,000 individuals getting tickets this isn't really a fair representation of the situation.

Paul Corcoran ● 4321d3 Comments

'How is this 'tax' regressive?'If the Council are keeping down Council Tax which is mainly paid by people who own houses (and graded according to the size of property) and then raise more money from people who own a car, it is likely that net people on lower incomes will pay more and people on higher incomes will pay less. That makes it regressive.Talking about people sticking to the law misses the point. If the number of fines is rising then their is clearly a problem with signage or enforcement.

Andy Jones ● 4320d

How is this 'tax' regressive? People who own cars tend to have more money than people who don't.Perhaps more thought should be given to sticking to the law or even not using your car so often.

Karen Taylor ● 4321d

To dismiss as 'office banter' the council officers' discussions of fining residents is disingenuous. We've all long come to recognise that fines like this are a regressive tax levied by Councils wanting to keep the headline rate of Council Tax down. The system should recognise that increased fines at a junction is a problem not an opportunity and any extra money raised should be put towards improved configuration. What actually happens is that junctions are deliberately designed to maximise revenue. Not LBHF but take for example eastbound at the junction of Askew Road and the Uxbridge Road. Thousands of fines have been issued to motorists cutting across a short section of bus lane to get out of a queue in the right filter lane. It's a trap to gain revenue not a means of ensuring traffic flow.

Andy Jones ● 4321d