Fewer fines under TfL's 'fair' drive

London has recorded its biggest fall in fines issued to drivers on red routes.

The number of motorists hit with a £120 penalty fell from 70,328 in June last year to 56,342 last month, a decrease of around 20 per cent.

Transport for London expects to record a similar drop this month after promising a new era of more "fairness" to drivers with a switch in emphasis from enforcement to increasing compliance.

The policy change came after mounting criticism of its heavyhanded policing of red routes, the congestion charge and parking fines.

Today, TfL said the latest figures were evidence that this was already having an effect. The number of fines issued in May fell from 57,901 last year to 50,811 this year.

A TfL spokeswoman said: "Our traffic enforcement is aimed at keeping the red routes moving safely - it is not about raising revenue or punishing motorists. Our measure of success is based on compliance with the regulations. If we increase compliance, we reduce the number of penalty charge notices we issue and the number of vehicles we remove."

TfL maintains that by reducing the number of fines issued to those who are "simply confused" it will leave more time to deal with the "hard core" of persistent offenders.