Moving Traffic Enforcement FAQs

Here you can find answers to some of the frequently asked questions we have received.

Why have KCC taken on these enforcement powers?

KCC have taken on these enforcement powers to improve Kent’s road network. Kent Police were enforcing moving traffic offences, and now KCC have taken on this role, Kent Police will be able to focus on other policing priorities.

Each site to be enforced by KCC must help achieve at least one of the following objectives:

  • improve road safety
  • tackle network congestion
  • increase public transport reliability
  • improve air quality
  • increase lifespan of highway assets.

How will KCC decide which sites are most important to enforce?

KCC takes a consistent and measured approach to enforcement, using cameras at sites where it has been identified there is an absolute need.

There is a robust identification and decision-making process in place to ensure that each site is chosen on the merits of how it will improve the area if traffic contraventions are enforced. For example, this could be judged on the crash record at a junction with the aim of reducing crashes or at proven congested areas resulting in a positive impact on the efficiency of the bus network and emergency services on Kent’s roads.

Why aren't KCC enforcing at every junction in Kent?

Introducing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are the last line of defence to get drivers to comply with signs or restrictions.

Will there be more sites in future?

Yes. We will continue to consult on further sites that require enforcement as and when they are ready.

How do I propose a future site for enforcement?

Please discuss any proposals for moving traffic enforcement with your parish or town council in the first instance.

Will KCC make any money from this?

Making money is not an aim of enforcing moving traffic violations. We have taken on these powers to make a difference to the highway network, and not as a source of financial income. We hope that better enforcement will help improve the compliance at these sites to make the necessary safety, congestion, and public transport improvements. As compliance improves, the number of Penalty Charge Notices will hopefully fall.

What will KCC do with the income generated by fines?

Should there be any money left over once the operational costs have been met, this will be used for highway improvement projects in line with strict government guidance. This funding will only be granted to projects that that help achieve one of the following objectives:

  • improve road safety
  • tackle network congestion
  • increase public transport reliability
  • improve air quality
  • increase lifespan of highway assets

What will happen if I illegally drive through a restriction and it’s caught on camera?

For the first six months after an enforcement camera has been installed, drivers will receive a warning notice for a first contravention (no fine). Second and subsequent contraventions will result in a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). All contraventions will receive a PCN after the first six months of a camera being installed. If the PCN is paid within 21 days, the charge is £35. After this, the charge increases to £70. If the charge is not paid within 56 days the case will be passed to a debt collection agency. The driver may appeal the PCN at any point in the process.

Will taxis be able to use bus gates?

Bus gates are installed across the county to improve congestion and promote the use of public transport services that help reduce the number of private vehicles on the road network. The vehicles lawfully permitted through a bus gate are written within a legal document called a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). Each bus gate has its own TRO, and the vehicles permitted differ from site to site.

No bus gates in Kent, or anywhere else in the country, have ever permitted private hire vehicles (pre-booked taxis) to use bus gates. However, hackney carriages (normally black cabs that can be hailed from the side of the road) feature in many TROs and are therefore allowed. The more vehicles that go through the bus gates, the less effective they become. Allowing additional vehicles (such as private hire vehicles) to use them would result in greater delays for those on public transport, negating their original purpose.

This proposal is to install cameras to enforce an existing restriction: it is not an alteration to a TRO to change the vehicles permitted. The rules are not changing because of this proposal.

There are other pieces of legislation that define the different types of vehicles and what they can legally do on the road. For these reasons KCC does not have the legal power to allow private hire vehicles to use bus gates.

How can I comment on the sites you are proposing to enforce?

Please complete the online questionnaire. Alternatively if you cannot take part online, please complete the Word version.

Here you can find answers to some of the frequently asked questions we have received.

Why have KCC taken on these enforcement powers?

KCC have taken on these enforcement powers to improve Kent’s road network. Kent Police were enforcing moving traffic offences, and now KCC have taken on this role, Kent Police will be able to focus on other policing priorities.

Each site to be enforced by KCC must help achieve at least one of the following objectives:

  • improve road safety
  • tackle network congestion
  • increase public transport reliability
  • improve air quality
  • increase lifespan of highway assets.

How will KCC decide which sites are most important to enforce?

KCC takes a consistent and measured approach to enforcement, using cameras at sites where it has been identified there is an absolute need.

There is a robust identification and decision-making process in place to ensure that each site is chosen on the merits of how it will improve the area if traffic contraventions are enforced. For example, this could be judged on the crash record at a junction with the aim of reducing crashes or at proven congested areas resulting in a positive impact on the efficiency of the bus network and emergency services on Kent’s roads.

Why aren't KCC enforcing at every junction in Kent?

Introducing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are the last line of defence to get drivers to comply with signs or restrictions.

Will there be more sites in future?

Yes. We will continue to consult on further sites that require enforcement as and when they are ready.

How do I propose a future site for enforcement?

Please discuss any proposals for moving traffic enforcement with your parish or town council in the first instance.

Will KCC make any money from this?

Making money is not an aim of enforcing moving traffic violations. We have taken on these powers to make a difference to the highway network, and not as a source of financial income. We hope that better enforcement will help improve the compliance at these sites to make the necessary safety, congestion, and public transport improvements. As compliance improves, the number of Penalty Charge Notices will hopefully fall.

What will KCC do with the income generated by fines?

Should there be any money left over once the operational costs have been met, this will be used for highway improvement projects in line with strict government guidance. This funding will only be granted to projects that that help achieve one of the following objectives:

  • improve road safety
  • tackle network congestion
  • increase public transport reliability
  • improve air quality
  • increase lifespan of highway assets

What will happen if I illegally drive through a restriction and it’s caught on camera?

For the first six months after an enforcement camera has been installed, drivers will receive a warning notice for a first contravention (no fine). Second and subsequent contraventions will result in a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). All contraventions will receive a PCN after the first six months of a camera being installed. If the PCN is paid within 21 days, the charge is £35. After this, the charge increases to £70. If the charge is not paid within 56 days the case will be passed to a debt collection agency. The driver may appeal the PCN at any point in the process.

Will taxis be able to use bus gates?

Bus gates are installed across the county to improve congestion and promote the use of public transport services that help reduce the number of private vehicles on the road network. The vehicles lawfully permitted through a bus gate are written within a legal document called a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). Each bus gate has its own TRO, and the vehicles permitted differ from site to site.

No bus gates in Kent, or anywhere else in the country, have ever permitted private hire vehicles (pre-booked taxis) to use bus gates. However, hackney carriages (normally black cabs that can be hailed from the side of the road) feature in many TROs and are therefore allowed. The more vehicles that go through the bus gates, the less effective they become. Allowing additional vehicles (such as private hire vehicles) to use them would result in greater delays for those on public transport, negating their original purpose.

This proposal is to install cameras to enforce an existing restriction: it is not an alteration to a TRO to change the vehicles permitted. The rules are not changing because of this proposal.

There are other pieces of legislation that define the different types of vehicles and what they can legally do on the road. For these reasons KCC does not have the legal power to allow private hire vehicles to use bus gates.

How can I comment on the sites you are proposing to enforce?

Please complete the online questionnaire. Alternatively if you cannot take part online, please complete the Word version.