We have applied for designation as a civil enforcement area for moving traffic contraventions.
Background
The government announced that local authorities outside of London and Wales can adopt moving traffic enforcement powers under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, currently enforced by the Police.
The purpose of this is to encourage compliance with traffic regulation orders to make our roads safer, reduce congestion and promote sustainable and active modes of travel.
In England and Wales, moving traffic offences are defined in law in Schedule 7 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 (as amended).
Such offences include:
- contravening one-way streets, banned left or right turns
- entry to a pedestrian zone
- ignoring a Traffic Regulation Order, such as a weight limit
These powers will not allow us to enforce speeding or dangerous driving, which will remain solely with the Police.
Consultation
We carried out a public consultation on the selection of the school street restriction in St Martins Road, Upton, as a pilot location for the use of camera enforcement in Dorset. You can read more about the consultation, the feedback we received and our response to the feedback on our consultation website.
The proposed pilot location was well supported – 67% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposal.
Decision-making process
As a result, Cllr Jon Andrews, cabinet member for place services, decided to apply for designation as a civil enforcement area using delegated powers and chose Saint Martin's Road, Upton, as the pilot location for enforcement.
Next steps
Our application is currently being considered by the Department for Transport, and if successful, we expect to be granted these powers in November 2025. We will monitor the pilot and consult with the public before applying the powers at any other location in Dorset.