Yellow Box Junctions in Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Maidstone and Thanet: Enforcing Moving Traffic Offences

Kent County Council (KCC) is using new powers, approved by parliament in July 2022, to improve safety and tackle congestion by enforcing moving traffic contraventions.

Congestion is a daily occurrence on many roads in Kent because of the large volumes of traffic using them. This has a negative impact on drivers, local residents and businesses. To help prevent key routes becoming blocked, yellow box junctions have been installed in problem locations. However, many drivers ignore the need to keep these clear and the smooth flow of traffic suffers as a result, causing congestion to build.

A yellow box junction means that no vehicles are allowed to enter the marked area unless the exit is clear. Vehicles are not allowed to stop on the yellow markings. Highway Code Rule 174 states that a driver must not enter a yellow box junction until the exit road or lane is clear. However, a driver may enter the box and wait when wanting to turn right and is only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right. At signalled roundabouts a driver must not enter the yellow box junction unless it can be crossed over completely without stopping.

KCC is proposing to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras overlooking yellow box junctions at the following sites to deter drivers from stopping in them illegally.

Site	Description
Site 1 - Ashford	At the junction of North Street and Somerset Road
Site 2 - Canterbury	On Wincheap heading westbound towards Thanington Road
Site 3 - Dover	At the junction of Maison Dieu Road, Park Street and Godwyne Road
Site 4 - Maidstone	At the junction of College Road, Mill Street and Knightrider Street
Site 5 - Maidstone	At the junction of High Street, Fairmeadow and Bishops Way
Site 6 - Maidstone	On the A229 Loose Road by Plains Avenue
Site 7 - Maidstone	From the A274 Sutton Road and A229 Loose Road heading towards Sheals Crescent
Site 8 - Maidstone	At the junction of Bearsted Road and the Eclipse Park
Site 9 - Maidstone	Going southbound on Fairmeadow from Earl Street
Site 10 - Thanet	At the junction on the A254 Marine Terrace and Marine Gardens with Eaton Road in Margate

These sites are some of the worst affected in Kent, where drivers often ignore yellow box junctions leading to congestion. They were identified using the following criteria:

areas of high pedestrian activity
bus routes
strategic cycle routes
areas with a poor road safety record.

More information is available in the Consultation Document, which can be found in the ‘Documents’ section on this page.

Have your say!

To comment on the enforcement of moving traffic offences at these sites, please complete the online questionnaire below.

The responses to this consultation will be analysed and considered before any decisions are taken. Consultation feedback will be provided on this page.

If the decision is taken to proceed with enforcement at these sites, the intention is to install the ANPR cameras in early 2026.