An unfortunate resident of Newham has accrued a jaw-dropping £3,000 in penalty charge notices (PCNs). This large fine stems from their ongoing violations of a special area established under the borough’s Healthy School Streets project. This program increases safety at high school-traffic hours. It limits vehicle access to the school perimeter during vehicle-heavy drop-off and pick-up times.
Since first enforcing the Healthy School Streets restrictions, Newham Council has issued 19 PCNs to this resident. The resident’s blue badge access permit is to be used by parents to drop children off or pick them up from school. Even as they challenged the fines, they still continued to receive weekly notices. This was occurring even as they operated in strict compliance with the council’s ordinances.
The Healthy School Streets initiative is changing the streets around their schools to protect students. A number of London boroughs have already implemented this program to make streets safer by default. No exceptions – severe restrictions are imposed during peak drop-off and pick-up hours. This frequently leaves parents in the lurch who need to rely on their own personal vehicle to get where they’re going.
That same resident drives into the restricted zone twice a day. They make this trip five days a week just to bring their kids home from school. They had claimed to be registered as a blue badge holder with Newham Council. But the council failed to revoke the PCNs after being informed that they were eligible for blue badge exemption.
It was an imprudent and dangerous escalation. During the time her own vehicle was out of service, courtesy cars from the residents’ insurer came to the rescue. The council’s response has come to be characterized as rigid and unsupportive, contributing to additional anxiety regarding the piling fees.
“In light of the circumstances, and to bring this matter to a fair conclusion, the council has taken the decision to cancel all of the PCNs issued in this case,” – Newham council spokesperson.
The city council has recognized the recurring health hazards this resident is enduring. These are just a few of the measures they’ve committed to implementing that will improve their processes for courtesy permits.
“Steps are also being taken to strengthen our processes around courtesy permits to reduce the risk of similar issues occurring in future,” – Newham council spokesperson.
The recent announcement to cancel the accumulated fines is a welcome news for the many residents affected. They are still left holding the bag for a heavy financial load from those prior penalties. The crash highlights more systemic problems in the ways that councils enforce and choose not to enforce traffic rules. This is particularly true when carve outs are available for people with disabilities.