New cameras are set to be installed around London to monitor drivers and their adjustment to a new scheme designed to boost road safety and slash noise pollution rates.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed across the capital to support the enforcement of the London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS).
The LLCS prevents heavy goods vehicles with a weight of more than 18 tonnes from entering residential roads at certain times.
It operates at night and over weekends to minimise noise pollution by London Councils on behalf of 31 London boroughs, the City of London and the Transport for London Road Network.
The scheme, which has been in operation since 1985 under the Greater London (Restriction of Goods Vehicles) Traffic Order 1985, is enforced through the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003.
It was decriminalised in April 2004, although operators need to pay a higher rate of £550 if a penalty charge notice is issued through a civil regime.
Individual drivers who break the LLCS rules can be charged £130, although this will be lowered by 50 per cent if the fine is paid within 14 days.
Following a successful trial of the ANPR cameras, a wider rollout has been confirmed by London Councils.
New cameras will be installed around the capital to address noise pollution concerns
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The cameras will work in conjunction with Enforcement Officers across the capital to ensure drivers and operators are adhering to the LLCS.
They will be deployed on specific routes where enforcement is required, with these being selected based on traffic patterns where non-compliance is more common.
Drivers falling foul of the rules will be automatically detected by the ANPR cameras. They will record the number plates of HGVs using specific roads during restricted hours.
Any potential breaches of the London Lorry Control Scheme will be checked by officers before the information is processed and a fine is issued.
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London Councils said this would ensure a more consistent, efficient and fair level of enforcement.
It will also give them a better chance to assess when LLCS breaches are made, at which times, and on which routes.
Mayor Brenda Dacres OBE, London Councils' Executive Member for Transport and Environment, said the change would have a huge benefit to help crack down on motorists breaking rules.
She said: "The introduction of ANPR cameras will help the London Lorry Control Scheme make use of modern technology, supporting the work of Enforcement Officers on our streets and increasing compliance with the scheme across London.
The London Lorry Control Scheme is in place to ensure HGVs do not travel down restricted roads
| PA"This change will allow enforcement to be applied more consistently, efficiently, and fairly, as well as minimise overnight disruption to London's communities, allowing Londoners to live in a cleaner, quieter city."
Any income raised from the LLCS scheme will be reinvested into traffic and parking services across the capital.
Additional surplus funding is designated to popular transport offences, including the Freedom Pass for older and disabled people in London.
Operational hours of the LLCS will not be changed, with operators being urged to follow the Excluded Route Network during these hours, unless they have a permit.