Labour has been urged to introduce sweeping changes to major traffic rules, which have been slapping drivers with unfair penalties.
It follows a growing petition which has already gained thousands of signatures calling for yellow box junctions to be reduced in size.
The petition warned that many yellow boxes in the UK are currently bigger than they need to be, on average by 50 per cent.
To compensate for this, a petition has been launched calling for legislative amendments that would provide drivers with greater flexibility, including changes to how these road markings are designed and enforced.
The need for action follows research by the RAC, which revealed that the vast majority of box junctions in London and Cardiff were unnecessarily large. The RAC study examined the 100 junctions generating the highest number of fines in 2019.
The analysis found that 98 of these locations were larger than required to fulfil their intended purpose of preventing vehicles from obstructing crossing traffic. On average, the boxes were half again as big as they needed to be.
More than half of the junctions analysed, 53 in total, lacked traffic light controls and could be replaced with simple 'keep clear' markings, eliminating the risk of penalty charge notices altogether.
The study also identified that roughly a fifth of the boxes examined may breach the Traffic Signs Regulations 2016.
The petition has demanded a 10-second grace period before penalties are issued
| GETTY/PAThe petition outlined several specific reforms it wants the government to implement. Among the key demands is a 10-second grace period before penalty charge notices can be issued.
Campaigners also called on the Government to create an exemption for vehicles making turns when they are not obstructing other road users.
The petition also wants amendments to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions to mandate that yellow boxes be no larger than necessary and restricted to junctions controlled by traffic signals.
Additionally, it called for all existing and new yellow box junctions to require traffic orders, ensuring they undergo public consultation.
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The petition has already received thousands of signatures from drivers
|PA
Finally, the campaign has called for the Highway Code to be amended, so its wording matches the legal requirements set out in the regulations.
These compliance issues include boxes that stretch beyond junctions by at least a car length, making it nearly impossible for drivers to determine where the markings end.
Highway Code Rule 174 states: "You MUST NOT enter the box until your exit road or lane is clear. However, you may enter the box and wait when you want to turn right and are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic or by other vehicles waiting to turn right. At signalled roundabouts, you MUST NOT enter the box unless you can cross over it completely without stopping."
The rule requires motorists to enter yellow boxes only when they can clearly see that their exit is unobstructed, with offenders facing fines of around £70 outside London, but can be as much as £160 in the capital.
Rule 174 of the Highway Code states that drivers must not stop in yellow box junctions | PAExperts warned that some junctions have been positioned in prohibited locations, such as outside private car parks or on roundabouts without traffic light controls.
When boxes are excessively large or road markings have faded, judging whether to proceed becomes extremely challenging.
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: "With more and more councils starting to enforce yellow box junctions, it is absolutely vital that they are designed first and foremost with aiding traffic flow and that they don't exist simply to raise revenue from drivers."
The petition has already received more than 10,000 signatures, with the Department for Transport now required to respond. If it reaches 100,000, the motion will be debated in the House of Commons.