Overview

• The government’s May 2022 legislation expanded yellow box junction enforcement beyond London and Cardiff by allowing all English councils to apply for moving traffic powers.
• In 2024, 36 junctions outside the capital issued 32,748 penalty charge notices, resulting in £998,640 in fines.
• Manchester City Council recorded the highest number of fines at 13,130, raising £446,706 from six junctions.
• Penalty charges are £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days, but only a fraction of drivers appeal notices with a maximum 18% appeal rate in Manchester.
• The RAC and traffic engineers warn that oversized box junctions risk unfair fines and caution against councils using enforcement as a revenue stream.