Oxfordshire County Council has obtained permission from the UK government to use cameras to enforce traffic regulations, including stopping in yellow box junctions, illegal turns, and vehicle restrictions.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be fitted around specific locations in Oxfordshire to help improve safety, ease congestion and reduce dangerous driving.
It is the first time local authorities outside London and Cardiff have had the opportunity to apply for these powers.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways management, said: “We are delighted to be among the first wave of councils to be given these powers.
“Residents are desperate for us to tackle law breakers on our roads, and they are frustrated that a minority of drivers are getting away with dangerous or antisocial behaviour.
“Getting the powers to install cameras to make our roads safer was one of the priorities of this administration.
“Now that the government has approved our application to take on these delegated powers, we can make Oxfordshire’s roads safer and less congested.”
The purpose of the change is to enable councils to manage specific problem areas through ANPR camera enforcement – similar to how bus gates operate – with fines being retained by the authority to cover maintenance and management costs.
Cameras will be installed at 11 locations across Oxford selected using information provided by Thames Valley Police, plus traffic and congestion monitoring data.
More locations around Oxfordshire will be considered in the future.
