Motorist's victory over £1m traffic spy camera

A driver has successfully challenged a notorious traffic camera that is estimated to issue £1 million a year in fines.

The Evening Standard has reported how thousands of motorists have been fined £120 each for making an illegal right turn in Theobald Street, Holborn.

The drivers followed a "left-turn" sign out of Boswell Street into Theobald Street but then almost immediately turned right into Drake Street, unaware the manoeuvre is illegal and they had been trapped by the Camden council camera.

When they received their fines in the post, some simply paid up while others appealed unsuccessfully to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service.

But now one man has successfully appealed after he compiled a dossier of evidence, including photographs, explaining how drivers like him were being unfairly trapped. IT specialist Matt Briggs was caught at the junction on a family day out and decided to protest.

The 36-year-old from Wandsworth argued he had followed the turn-left sign correctly and after driving a short distance along Theobald Street he made a "perfectly legal" right turn into Drake Street.

His dossier featured photographs of numerous vehicles, including ambulances and black cabs, doing exactly the same thing.

"It's a total scam," said Mr Briggs. "I discovered that between 4pm and 7pm on the day I was done, 26 other vehicles were penalised. The signs are totally misleading."

At appeal, Camden failed to appear. The adjudicator sided with Mr Briggs, saying he had offered "compelling mitigation".

The adjudicator gave the council 14 days to provide evidence supporting the fine but it failed to respond.

"They knew they didn't have a leg to stand on," said Mr Briggs. "They decided to bow out quietly without admitting liability. They knew that if they appeared at the hearing and lost, they would have to close down the cameras and stop fining people. They lost by default and the cameras are still running."

Engineer Mac McCullagh, whose daughter was fined at the same location, today called the camera operation a "con".

In her case, it took a prolonged letter writing campaign before the council finally backed down.

Mr McCullagh said: "Camden's attitude is to bully people by refusing to back down until the last possible moment in the hope they pay up. No wonder - they must be making thousands of pounds a day from this operation."

Camden said today that while it had lost 20 cases at appeal, it had won 91.

"The sign is there to make the road safer, not to raise revenue," said a spokesman, adding that one adjudicator pronounced the signing "clear and unambiguous".

"Our signs are constantly under review to make sure they are clear," he said.

But Mr Briggs said: "The sheer volume of drivers getting it wrong at this junction, including professional drivers, shows that the signing is unclear.

"It would require only the smallest adjustments by Camden - perhaps an additional 'no right-turn' sign or by extending the traffic island in the middle of the road. Why have they failed to do this? Because they want the money."