- ‘They'd slap a ticket on
Santa's sleigh if they could' – Jack Cousens, AA head of roads
policy
Road fines dished out by London local authorities leapt by more
than 1.1 million, an increase of 13.5%, in 2024-2025 compared to
the year before, according to analysis conducted by The AA's
motoring policy unit*.
Compared to five years ago, the number of penalty charge notices
(PCN) issued by Transport for London and London councils for
parking, bus lane and moving traffic (yellow box, illegal turns,
one-way restrictions, etc) offences has shot up by 3.275 million
or 53%.
In 2024-2025, the fines haul was 9,457,848. In 2023-2024, it was
8,333,486. And, five years ago in 2019-2020, it was 6,182,439.
Fines statistics released this month by London Councils show:
Parking
2024-2025 - 5,171,275 PCNs (up 13.4% yr-on-yr and 30.8% over five
years)
2023-2024 - 4,560,690
2019–2020 - 3,952,118
Bus lanes
2024-2025 - 373,070 (up 16.8% yr-on-yr and down 7% over five
years)
2023-2024 - 319,357
2019–2020 - 400,973
Moving traffic
2024-2025 - 3,913,503 (up 13.3% yr-on-yr and up 113.9 % over five
years)
2023-2024 - 3,453,439
2019–2020 - 1,829,348
Top five councils issuing PCNs in 2024-2025 are:
1. Transport for London - 852,842 (parking 415,850, bus lane
82,736, moving traffic 354,256)
2. Westminster - 580,187 (parking 516,562, bus lanes N/A, moving
traffic 63,625)
3. Islington - 450,653 (parking 248,027, bus lanes 4,996, moving
traffic 197,630)
4. Newham - 438,834 (parking 267,318, bus lanes 8,579, moving
traffic 162,937)
5. Hammersmith and Fulham - 435,243 (parking 145,125, bus lanes
18,853, moving traffic 271,265)
Top five percentage increases in PCNs issued compared to the
previous year:
1. Greenwich 48.4% - 188,856 v 127,274 PCNs
(parking up 45% - 102,854 v 70,898, bus lanes down 31% - 19,081 v
27,648, moving traffic up 133% - 66,921 v 28,728)
2. Ealing 37.7% - 317,226 v 230,337 PCNs
(parking up 64% - 155,632 v 95,094, bus lanes down 0.1% - 22,655
v 22,673, moving traffic up 23% - 138,939 v 112,570)
3. Lewisham 34.8% - 237,578 v 176,203 PCNs
(parking up 35% - 60,393 v 44,756, bus lanes down 79% - 245 v
1,173, moving traffic up 36% - 176,940 v 130,274)
4. Kensington and Chelsea 31.1% - 277,294 v
211,444 PCNs (parking up 25% - 241,099 v 192,505, bus lanes –
N/A, moving traffic up 91% - 36,195 v 18,939)
5. Southwark 30.4% - 344,701 v 264,259 PCNs
(parking up 69% - 181,723 v 107,750, bus lanes up 45% - 24,547 v
16,983, moving traffic down 1% - 138,431 v 139,526)
“Another year has passed, and once again we see more fines added
to the haul from enforcement of parking and road rules by
Transport for London and London councils,” says Jack Cousens, the
AA's head of roads policy.
“A new road restriction is created, the camera points at the
hotspot and sets the trap. It feels like some of these councils
would slap a ticket on Santa's sleigh if they could.”
Cousens adds: “Other than the relentless and ruthless nature of
fines in London, including ticketing breakdown vehicles clearly
trying to get stranded vehicles on the move again, the bit that
really disappoints us is the behaviour exposed in London
Tribunals appeals reports.
“When a driver contests a PCN, the first complaint is to the
council, with the option to take it to appeal if turned down. Too
often, appeal adjudicator reports criticise councils for not
cancelling the fines early on because they are so blatantly
wrong.
“Fines issued for restrictions that are out of date or don't
conform to regulations is another big issue. For each PCN won at
appeal in these cases, scores more are paid up by drivers who
should never have been ticketed in the first place.”
ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
* Enforcement and appeals
statistics | London Councils – Home
