Two controversial yellow box junctions in south London that raked in more than £450,000 in just eight months have been ruled “legally compliant”.
Kingston Council is not set to make any changes to the layout or enforcement of the junctions on Kingston Road, in New Malden, despite concerns from residents and businesses that they operate as a “cash cow”.
Council officers investigated the junctions after three councillors requested a special meeting to discuss concerns they had raised.
The officers said in a new report they had found the layout and enforcement of the yellow boxes to be “legally compliant and proportionate”.
Officers recommended the layout of the junctions be maintained, but that separate enforcement data on each should be provided going forward to improve transparency. A special meeting of the council’s New and Old Malden Neighbourhood Committee will vote on these recommendations on January 22.
The yellow boxes on Kingston Road, at its junctions with Elm Road and Westbury Road, have been operating since at least 2015. Camera enforcement of the yellow box junctions began in 2020.
This means drivers who stop in the yellow grid when their exit is not clear, and they are not waiting to turn right, are automatically slapped with a fine of £160. The fine is slashed to £80 if it is paid in 14 days.
Independent councillors James Giles, Yvonne Tracey and Kamala Kugan requested a meeting after data from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed the authority dished out 6,568 penalty charge notices (PCNs) to drivers who had stopped in the yellow box junctions from January to August last year. This generated roughly £451,405, which they said equated to around £2,000 per day.
The councillors said residents and businesses had reported concerns about the junctions, claiming they operated as a “cash cow” rather than a proportionate traffic measure. But the report by council officers said the main aim of the measures was to improve road safety and traffic flow.
The report said the number of fines issued to drivers breaking the rules of the yellow boxes had fallen in the last four completed financial years, which suggested their enforcement had been successful.
A total of 10,288 fines were handed out in 2021/2022, followed by 8,888 in 2022/23, 8,758 in 2023/24 and 7,359 in 2024/25.
The report said: “The council uses enforcement measures to ensure compliance with yellow boxes designed to improve traffic flow and road safety. Our enforcement strategy aims to reduce contraventions, leading to better compliance with regulations and achieving our overall traffic management goals.”
It added: “Officers are satisfied that the junction layouts are legally compliant and enforcement is proportionate. It is therefore proposed that no changes are made but the junctions be kept under review.”
Any extra income generated by enforcing yellow boxes and other traffic offences must be ringfenced for certain uses, including highways maintenance. Councillors will discuss the junctions at the meeting on January 22.
