Enforcement starting at Portswood Road bus/taxi/cycle only restriction next week
Camera enforcement of the bus/taxi/cycle only section on Portswood Road will begin on Monday 10 February as part of the Portswood Project trial
We are thoroughly monitoring the trial and the first of our monthly traffic data reports will be released shortly. So far, the monitoring has shown that the number of cars using Portswood Road has fallen since the bus/taxi/cycle only restriction was implemented, compared to the previous week. The monitoring has also shown that pedestrian numbers along Portswood Broadway have increased during the first week of the trial compared to the week before.
While many drivers are complying with the new restriction, the council has made the decision to introduce enforcement measures for the bus/taxi/cycle only section, as the monitoring has shown some continue to pass through during the restricted hours. Our experience with other schemes that introduced a restriction show that compliance improves with camera enforcement. This change is crucial to ensure the robustness of the trial and to support the goals of improving bus journeys as well as safety on Portswood Road.
Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport said:
“There are a number of goals that we are trying to achieve as part of the Portswood Project trial and a key factor in many of them is ensuring that vehicles travelling from further afield to the city centre use Thomas Lewis Way for their journey.
“We do appreciate that it takes time for people to get used to changes like the ones being trialled in Portswood and so we have allowed two weeks for drivers to adjust to the new restriction without taking any further action. From Monday 10 February, we will be issuing warning letters in the first instance to anyone who passes the new bus/taxi/cycle only restriction to ensure people are aware of the restriction and after that we will issue fines if individuals continue to pass the restriction despite having received the warning letter.”
Once the camera enforcement on Portswood Road starts on Monday 10 February, other than authorised vehicles, people who drive through the restriction will receive a Warning Notice, and on their second contravention they will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days).
Warning Letters and PCN’s will be sent through the post to the Registered Keeper of the vehicle. To allow enough time between a Warning Notice being processed and received by the driver, there will be period of approximately two weeks after a Warning Notice being activated and a PCN being issued. All money received from Penalty Charge Notices will be used to pay for the upkeep and running of the camera system and any surplus funds are reinvested into Southampton’s transport network as set out in national legislation.
Following concerns raised from local residents, adjustments will be made to parking on Brookvale Road near the junction with Highfield Lane. This will help ease congestion and improve road safety around the junction. Additional monitoring of Brookvale Road will be carried out as part of the trial process.
The Portswood Project trial follows significant engagement with local people which has influenced how the project has progressed, from its first publication in 2020 through to the implementation of the trial in January, and local people can continue to feedback to us their views throughout the trial on the Consultations page of Connecting Southampton or by post to the Highways Legal Team at the Civic Centre.
The Portswood Project aims to deliver improvements in this key travel corridor that support the delivery of the Local Transport Plan: Connected Southampton 2040 and the goals of the Southampton Citizens’ Climate Assembly.
