READING Borough Council is now enforcing rules on four more box junctions in a continued crackdown on traffic offences.
It is part of a council initiative which forms part of its plan on tackling congestion, which are also a major contributor to poor air quality in Reading.
It began earlier this year when the council laid out new enforcement plans for box junctions on Kings Road.
Now four more junctions are being added to the list where new penalty charge notices will be in place:
- Queens Road junction of London Street (Sidmouth Street)
- Oxford Road / Bedford Road, West Bound
- Bath Road / Burghfield Road, East Bound
- Bath Road / Berkeley Avenue, West Bound
Motorists blocking these junctions will be served with a £70 penalty, though this is reduced to £35 if paid within three weeks of receipt of the notice.
There will be a warning notice issued for the first infraction on a per-vehicle, per-junction basis for six months after each junction comes under the new enforcement rules.
Box junction enforcement is being phased in across a total of 15 junctions
Councillor John Ennis, Reading Borough Council’s Lead for Climate Strategy and Transport, said: “We know that the illegal blocking of yellow box junctions has a major impact on queues and poor air quality in parts of Reading, and on the health of local residents living in the vicinity.
“The enforcement of four further key junctions from today will bring the overall number of junctions up to six in Reading and we will continue to introduce new locations over the coming months.
He explained: “It is important to note that warnings, rather than fines, will be issued during the first six months for the first offence per vehicle at each junction.
“This is to give drivers as much notice as possible before official penalty charge notices are issued. I’d also emphasise that, as with all traffic and parking enforcement fines, the law requires that any surplus revenue raised has to be re-invested in transport or highways improvements across Reading.”
A full map of all 15 junctions is available via reading.gov.uk/vehicles-roads-and-transport.
