London streets “paved with fines” as TfL takes record profits from Red Route PCNs on motorists

Transport for London (TfL) is raking in millions of pounds in fines as income from Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) on Red Routes has skyrocketed by 57 per cent in the past five years, with critics saying the streets of the nation’s capital are “paved with fines”.

A draft report seen by PA Media shows that in the 2023/2024 financial year, TfL made £83.4 million from fines issued within its so-called ‘red routes’ – regarded as the busiest roads in London on which stopping is illegal at specified times. This is up from £56.8 million over the same period in 2018/19.

It’s no surprise then that, given there are approximately 367 miles of red route roads, TfL is now cashing in as much as £244,000 per mile. That’s not to mention the draft report which states the transport network recorded an operating surplus of £138 million over the past year.

Head of Policy at the AA, Jack Cousens, said that “Dick Whittington would now say that London's streets are paved with fines.” The motoring association has attributed the rise in income from fines to the increase in PCN costs to £160 each, as well as the usage of state-of-the-art CCTV technology to catch offenders.

This comes after it was revealed that roughly a third of the profits from London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone, which is managed by TfL, comes from fines. With the latest news in mind, Cousens remarked that “It seems TfL may need drivers to offend and generate income instead of complying with road rules.

TfL, which also hands out PCNs in red routes for other offences such as driving in bus lanes and stopping in yellow box junctions, claimed that fines are an “important deterrent” for drivers. In a statement, TfL's Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, Siwan Hayward, said: “We are committed to keeping London moving safely and efficiently, and reducing delays on London's red routes, which is also essential to ensuring a reliable bus network for everyone."

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