Oxford drivers have paid more than £1 million in fines for driving through Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
More than 52,000 fines have been issued to motorists who drive through LTNs since 2022, a Freedom of Information request has shown
Drivers have paid more than £1 million in fines to the county council for driving through Oxford’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) over four years.
More than 52,000 fines have been issued to motorists who drive through LTNs since 2022, a Freedom of Information request has shown.
Motorists can be fined £70 for driving through the LTNs without an exemption, with the fine reducing to £35 if it is paid within 21 days.
The council is legally required to spend all the money it raises from fines on supporting transport, which one councillor described as a “war chest” for anti-motorist traffic measures.
The contentious traffic measure was first trialled on several roads during the pandemic using wooden bollards.
The LTNs in Cowley and East Oxford were made permanent in July 2022 and October 2023 respectively after an 18-month trial.
However, the income raised from fines has dropped over time.
The county council made a total of £456,976.91 in 2022, which dropped to £189,887.86 in 2023, £222,676.85 in 2024 and £213,420 so far in 2025.
The number of fines has stayed relatively level apart from 2023, when it dropped to 7,993 compared to 16,552 in the previous year, but the number of fines relative to the number of ANPR camera sites has reduced over time.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras only existed at two locations between 2022 and 2023, on Bartholomew Road and Cornwallis Road.
A further six ANPR cameras were installed at the East Oxford and Cowley LTNs (Crescent Road, Littlehay Road, Littlemore Road, Divinity Road, James Street and Magdalen Road) to replace the existing bollards in May 2024.
The income raised in fines is offset against the costs of providing parking enforcement service and maintaining and operating Park & Rides, and any surplus must be used to fund transport related improvements.
Councillor David Henwood said the money from fines would be used as a “war chest” for transport chief Andrew Gant to use for more traffic measures “against car owners”.
He said: “Fines are not being used in a positive way, for example providing school bus services or subsidising bus routes, or even making roads safer by introducing segregated cycle lanes.
“Gant is making motorists pay for further schemes against them, no wonder the people of Oxford are angry.”
He added that the LTNs were “never opened” in times of emergency and that junctions on the Newman and Churchill Road were “now more dangerous” because of the scheme.
Councillor Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport management on the county council said: “LTNs make residential streets healthier to live on and safer and more comfortable for walking, wheeling, and cycling.
“We can see from air quality monitoring that the situation is improving.
“Alongside other initiatives, the LTNs have no doubt helped Oxford to achieve as much as a 38 per cent reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels since 2019.
“Over time, the benefits should increase.
“Good progress is being made towards becoming a cleaner, better city for everyone.”
The number of appeals made after a fine was issued stood at 7,186 since 2022.
A total of 89 per cent of those appeals were successful, although these figures include cases where liability is transferred to a new owner or hirer of the vehicle.
Last month the county council decided to allow NHS urgent community responders, who provide at home care for patients facing a sudden health or care crisis, to drive through LTNs without being fined.
This was after the Oxford NHS Trust warned about the “serious knock-on effects” of delays.
The council did not have the figures for how many fines were given to urgent community responders for driving through the LTNs.
Oxfordshire County Council have spent almost £4 million on LTNs and cycle quick ways.
The money spent on delivering these schemes was funded by an active travel grant from central government, but the ongoing costs of maintaining LTN infrastructure will be funded by the council’s general maintenance budget.