Moving traffic enforcement
Local authorities in England (outside London) became empowered in May 2022 to adopt the powers for enforcement of moving traffic restrictions. This is all laid out under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.
As a result, local highway authorities, such as Southend-on-Sea City Council, will be able to use cameras to catch people breaking specific traffic rules while driving.
The Council are preparing for these powers to be adopted to:
- improve road safety
- reduce congestion
- decrease pollution
The first step in the process was to apply to the Department for Transport (DfT) to be one of the authorities that can enforce highway restrictions and or prohibitions.
We plan to roll the programme out in phases.
As part of the first phase, we have identified 10 locations which have high levels of non-compliant behaviours:
- Site 1: Fairfax Drive at the junction with Prittlewell Chase - Yellow Box Junction (YBJ)
- Site 2: A13 London Road at the junction with Nelson Road - Yellow Box Junction (YBJ)
- Site 3: Cokefield Road at the junction with Hamstel Road - No right turn
- Site 4: A13 at the junction with Elm Road - Yellow Box Junction (YBJ)
- Site 5: Greenways Primary school - School street
- Site 6: A127 Eastbound (Bell interchange) at the junction with Rochford Road - Yellow Box Junction (YBJ)
- Site 7: Bournes Green junior school - School street
- Site 8: A127 Prince Avenue at the junction with A1158 Prince Avenue - No left turn
- Site 9: Nelson Road at the junction with A13 - No right turn
- Site 10: Warrior Square at the junction with Chichester Road - No right turn
How will the Council enforce these restrictions?
The Council will make use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to monitor and enforce the listed restrictions.
What will the revenue from these restrictions be used for?
In line with relevant legislation, any income from the Penalty Charge Notices issued will be reinvested back into projects that:
- road safety improvement
- active and sustainable travel initiative
- maintenance and improvement of the city's highways
What is next?
A Designation Order confirming Southend-on-Sea City Council’s enforcement powers for the 10 locations has now been approved and formally laid before Parliament. This Order grants the Council the legal authority to enforce moving traffic offences at the specified locations. You can view the Order here.
This is a significant milestone that allows the Council to move into the preparation phase, which includes ensuring all enforcement sites are ready, acquiring the necessary technology, and completing installation. Once these preparations are in place, a go-live date for enforcement will be confirmed.