Drivers could be fined by Sheffield Council for breaking rules at three accident blackspots under new plans

Sheffield Council can already penalise motorists for driving in bus and tram lanes, but it is seeking new powers which would enable it to enforce other illegal manoeuvres including making banned turns and stopping in yellow box junctions. Only the police could enforce those rules in the past, under criminal law, but new legislation was recently introduced enabling local authorities to do so if they apply to the Department for Transport (DfT) for permission, which some have already been granted.

Sheffield Council now plans to apply under the Traffic Management Act for the power to fine motorists caught committing the following offences: driving through a ‘no entry’ sign, making banned turns, entering yellow box junctions when the exit is blocked, and driving where motor vehicles are prohibited. It claims that doing so would help reduce congestion and make the city’s roads safer.

The council has identified three sites where it wants to use those powers initially – locations it says have been chosen due to the number of collisions resulting in injuries there, and the frequency of drivers flouting the rules and causing delays for other vehicles, including buses. It has launched a public consultation seeking people’s views on the proposed new powers and the sites where they would be applied at first.

Where in Sheffield would the council use new powers to fine drivers?

Should it be granted the new enforcement powers, the council would be allowed to use them across the city, but it plans to use them initially only at those three sites, which are:

Queens Road and Bramall Lane – use of new enforcement powers to fine motorists caught making banned turns and stopping in yellow box junctions

Glossop Road and Upper Hanover Street – use of new enforcement powers to fine motorists caught making banned turns and stopping in yellow box junctions

Hoyle Street – use of new enforcement powers to fine motorists caught stopping in yellow box junctions.

Before beginning enforcement, the council says it would assess the road signs and markings at each location, and make changes if necessary, to ensure the restrictions are as clear as possible. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras can only be used for enforcement at sites where all other methods of deterrent have been tried and proved insufficient, it says.

Earlier this year, The Star reported how Sheffield Council made £708,791 from bus lane fines during the 2020/21 financial year, taken from 42,906 individual penalties.

Should it get the new powers it is seeking, the council intends to begin using them as soon as possible. The consulation is now open and people have until December 31, 2022 to respond. For more information, and to take part in the consultation, visit: https://connectingsheffield.commonplace.is/.