Council rakes in almost £300,000 from one Peckham traffic camera in six months

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Fines paid by motorists caught by a single traffic camera in South London amounted to more than £278,000.

Southwark council has raked in the cash from penalty charge notices handed to drivers in a Peckham no-traffic zone over six months.

A Freedom of Information request revealed the council issued 7,826 fines to drivers who went down Goldsmith Road between August 2021 and January 2022.

Almost £200,000 in fines is yet to be paid by motorists who turned into the low traffic neighbourhood.

Southwark council banned cars and motorcycles from driving in to Goldsmith Road from Meeting House Lane and vice versa in 2020.

But drivers say road signs in the area are confusing, leading to many people accidentally breaking the rules.

Teaching assistant Amy Meech said her boyfriend was slapped with a £65 fine after accidentally turning into Goldsmith Road on the evening of January 15.

The 22 year old said: “He is self-employed so every penny counts. It’s so badly lit. In the pictures they attached to the letter you can barely see it.

“There should be better warning signs. We can’t be the only people who’ve not seen this sign.

“My partner has lived in Peckham for seven years and he has driven down that road numerous times without a problem. He paid the fine in good faith.

“We got the fine when driving at around 11.30pm at night. He couldn’t see the sign which is at the end of the road at night-time.

“Even if he had seen the sign he wouldn’t have been able to turn around because there was a car behind us.”

Southwark raked in the most from the controversial traffic zone in October 2021, earning £126,360 from 2,448 fines.

The traffic filter is one of several set up around Peckham by Southwark council in an attempt to improve road safety and encourage more people to ditch their cars. Only walking and cycling is allowed over stretches of road the filters cover.

Southwark council has been contacted for comment.

Pictured top: Goldsmith Road (image: Google)