Find out about Knowsley Moving Traffic Offences Consultation and how to have your say here
Currently, under criminal law, enforcement of Moving Traffic Offences can only be carried out by the Police, however, under the Traffic Management Act (2004), local authorities outside London can apply for the powers from the Department of Transport (DfT) so that they have the authority to do this directly.
With this in mind, an application for Moving Traffic Contravention Enforcement Powers has been made to the Department for Transport on behalf of Knowsley Council. The assessment of all applications will be detailed and thorough, which is likely to take several months. It is therefore expected that approval will be granted by end of the year.
If our application is successful, these powers would allow the council to strengthen the work it is currently doing to enforce against unlawful and dangerous parking and driving behaviour.
Moving traffic enforcement powers are a way of managing moving traffic behaviours by enforcing restrictions via the issue of fines/penalty charge notices for motorists that break the rules and regulations in place. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section for examples.
Enforcement will help to:
reduce congestion on our network
improve pedestrian and cyclist safety
improve journey times for public transport
reduce numbers of Heavy Goods Vehicles passing through residential areas
improve air quality and reduce transport related emissions that contribute to carbon net zero targets
The consultation responses will then be reviewed, and a decision will be taken on whether to proceed with enforcement.
If approved, it is anticipated that enforcement of the restrictions on Shevington’s Lane, Headbolt Lane, and Hall Lane, will commence early 2026.
Any initial enforcement will consist of Warning Notices, for each first offence, during the initial six months of operation; however, any subsequent offences during this period or thereafter, will result in a fine in the form of a postal Penalty Charge Notice.
Moving traffic enforcement is a way of managing moving traffic behaviours by enforcing various restrictions, which will result in fines and penalty charge notices for motorists that breach the restrictions that are in place. Examples of moving traffic offences that can be enforced under the new powers include:
undertaking banned turns
driving through an HGV weight restricted road
driving in a route permitted for buses and taxis only
driving through a school street, pedestrian, and cycle zone
entering a yellow box junction when the exit is not clear
However, currently, we only plan to enforce the existing 7.5 tonne environmental weight limits on Headbolt Lane, Shevington’s Lane and Hall Lane, Kirkby.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras have been installed at the sites to be enforced, and Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) will be issued by post to the registered keeper of the vehicle.
We have a statutory obligation to make sure traffic moves freely and quickly on our roads and the roads of nearby authorities. By undertaking moving traffic enforcement, we are carrying out this duty. Our primary reasons for enforcing remain to:
Make roads safer for those walking and cycling
Reduce congestion
Improve journey times
Reduce numbers of Heavy Goods Vehicles passing though residential areas
Improve air quality, supporting our zero-carbon target
Increased safety and cleaner air around schools – camera enforced school streets schemes are proven to have a positive effect
Reallocation and saving of police time
We want to make sure that our plans reflect the views of the community where the changes will be implemented.
If our application is successful and we are granted these powers from the DfT, the council will be able to enforce them anywhere in Knowsley, subject to further consultation with the local community on a location by location basis.
Initially, however, we will only be undertaking enforcement at Shevington’s Lane, Headbolt Lane and Hall Lane, Kirkby, to help to reduce the number of HGV’s passing through residential areas at this location.
These locations have been chosen due to many years of misuse by HGV’s travelling through local residential areas, causing nuisance and effecting road safety and air quality along these routes. By considering this location, the council will be able to provide enforcement in accordance with the existing signs and restrictions in place. It is expected that this proposal will help to reduce numerous requests to Police to carry out enforcement despite their limited resources.
In order to enforce Moving Traffic Offences there are regulations on the number of signs that need to be displayed.
We have carried out surveys at Shevington’s Lane, Headbolt Lane and Hall Lane, Kirkby and the existing traffic signs and markings comply with the current regulations to allow enforcement to take place.
A Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) will be issued for Moving Traffic Offences.
The penalty will be £70; however, this will be reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
Following DfT (Department for Transport) guidelines, there will be a six-month warning notice period where no fines will be issued for first time non-compliance.
No, this will only cost the vehicle owner / operator money if they are served a penalty charge notice for not complying with the new restrictions.
Any income from fines will be used:
To recoup costs of enforcement with any surplus income being used in accordance with the legislation but may include: -
public transport provision
to pay for highway improvement projects
to pay for environmental improvements in the Council’s area
You can use the survey on this site to suggest other locations where we could look to enforce Moving Traffic Offences.
We are encouraging residents to tell us which other areas in Knowsley this may benefit as we are confident that this enforcement will help to make roads safer for those walking and cycling, reduce congestion and improve journey times as well as air quality.
Any suggestions will be looked into to see if they are suitable and, should our application to obtain powers to enforce Moving Traffic Offences be successful, these may be considered at a later date, subject to further consultation, on a location by location basis.
Yes, these powers could be used to enforce mandatory cycle lanes. These may be considered at a later date, subject to further consultation, on a location by location basis.
Speeding is a criminal offence and is enforced by Merseyside Police, not by the Council. Moving traffic restrictions (such as banned turning movements, yellow box junctions, weight limits etc) are classed as civil offences and these are what we are consulting on.
The Council is waiting for the Department of Transport to release new guidance and legislation around tackling pavement parking.
