Hundreds Wrongly Fined After Council Fails to Disable School Streets Cameras During Half Term
Brighton and Hove motorists received penalty notices during the October half term break when school streets enforcement cameras were not switched off as they should have been.
Administrative error leads to wrongly issued fines
Mottorists across Brighton and Hove were wrongly issued tickets for driving through school street zones during the October half term break because enforcement cameras were not turned off.
Several people raised complaints on social media after receiving the fines last week, when schools were closed. The school streets scheme operates at Queen's Park Primary, Hangleton Primary, and West Hove and Hove Junior schools as part of a pilot programme introduced in April.
The council had stated that drivers entering the zones would receive warning letters during the first six months, after which fines would be issued. However, restrictions are only meant to apply during school term time on Monday to Friday.
Council acknowledges the error
Cabinet member for transport Trevor Muten responded to complaints on Facebook, saying: "It is acknowledged with an apology that these school streets cameras were not switched off at the start of the half term break as they should have and there was a delay."
In a statement to Brighton and Hove News, Cllr Muten said: "We apologise for the error which saw some motorists issued Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) on School Streets during October half term. School Streets restrictions only apply during school term time, Monday to Friday, and should not be enforced during school holidays. Due to an administrative error, some PCNs were issued incorrectly."
Fines to be cancelled and refunded
The council has confirmed that all affected penalty charge notices have been cancelled, and anyone who has already paid will be reimbursed.
A report due before next week's cabinet meeting indicates that in the week beginning 7 September, 894 warning letters were sent out, with this number reducing to 693 the following week. The council did not provide figures on how many cars were wrongly fined during the half term period.
Cllr Muten added that the council has "put additional checks in place to ensure restrictions are applied correctly in future", and stressed that "School Streets play an important role in keeping children safe, and it's important that restrictions are enforced fairly and accurately."
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