News from Harrow Labour

One CCTV camera in Harrow nets the Council over £1m a year

A notorious CCTV camera in Harrow is in the news again. This is the traffic enforcement camera which monitors the forbidden no right turn from Gayton Road into Station Road.

The most recent figures show that there has been a 15 per cent increase in the number of motorists being fined for infringing this, with nearly 19,000 motorists being charged. This gives an average of 50 motorists every day of the year and has raised an astounding income for the Council of £1,097,088.

Cllr Bill Stephenson (Labour, Headstone South) has taken this up on behalf of a local resident who was unwittingly caught out. The local resident pointed out that the no right turn sign can often be obscured by buses or vans and that there was only one sign very near the actually turning point and none on the post in the central island. On visiting the site it was clear that the signage, although satisfying the minimum legal requirements, is unclear and many residents unwittingly break the law and are fined.

All suggestions for possible improvements have been rejected. For example, putting a no right turn sign on a post on the right hand side of the road in the central island was turned down because, to quote: “Some drivers might wrongly assume the sign had been twisted round which could lead to confusion.”

Cllr Bill Stephenson said:

“It is quite clear that the road signage even if it satisfies the minimum legal requirements is unclear as nearly 19,000 motorists a year can testify. I am very concerned at the Council”s complacent attitude towards this matter. Maybe they regard this as a milch cow and an easy way to make money with one CCTV camera generating over £1 million towards the Council”s coffers. Moreover this is not the only CCTV camera doing this. I regard what the Council is doing is quite immoral and that motorists are cynically being ripped off. In my view wherever there are CCTV cameras giving rise to a large number of traffic infringements we should urgently look at our road signage to make sure that it is absolutely clear.”

However, there is a glimmer of hope that this particular matter may be resolved in the near future. The Council is introducing a two way bus scheme along Station Road and officers have promised to look at this matter again. Cllr Stephenson said: “I will be monitoring this very carefully and my campaign will continue until we get it right.”

Other news from Harrow Labour

• New Year’s greeting: Tory fare rises - 30 December 2010
• Boris's broken ticket office promise a big blow to Harrow - 14 August 2010
• Conservative Harrow Council's "culture of fear" condemned - 19 May 2010