Moving Traffic Enforcement – Frequently Asked Questions

Devon County Council have applied to take on these enforcement powers to improve Devon’s road network. Devon and Cornwall Police currently enforce moving traffic contraventions in Devon, and this will allow them to focus on other policing priorities. Each site to be enforced by Devon County Council must help achieve at least one of the following objectives:

• improve road safety
• tackle network congestion
• increase public transport reliability
• improve air quality
• increase lifespan of highway assets

Before the council can introduce cameras for moving traffic offences, we were required to carry out a public consultation.

The consultation ran from 14 August until 25 September 2023.

We considered the comments submitted during the consultation and the decision was made to apply to the Department for Transport for the powers to enforce moving traffic offences.

On 11 November 2024, the necessary legal order to grant Devon County Council the powers, was laid before Parliament. The new powers came into effect on 7 December 2024.

Devon County Council is taking a consistent and measured approach to enforcement, using cameras at sites where it has been identified there is a need.

There is a robust decision-making process in place to ensure that each site is chosen on the merits of how it will improve the area if traffic contraventions are enforced. For example, this could be judged on the safety record at a junction with the aim of reducing collisions or at proven congested areas resulting in a positive impact on the efficiency of the bus network and emergency services on Devon’s roads.

Introducing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) is not going to be the standard approach for all locations. It will only be installed at locations where it has been demonstrated there is a need.

It is envisaged that enforcement will be rolled out to further sites, but only at locations where it has been demonstrated there is a need. Details of future locations can be found at the future Moving Traffic Enforcement sites page

More information on future sites and how to suggest new sites can be found on the future Moving Traffic Enforcement sites page

Making money is not an aim of enforcing moving traffic offences. The intention behind enforcement is to make a difference to the highway network, and not as a source of additional income.

We hope that better enforcement will help improve compliance at these sites in order to make the necessary safety, congestion, and public transport improvements. As compliance improves, the number of Penalty Charge Notices will hopefully fall.

Funds generated from penalty charge notices will be ringfenced to fund the enforcement service and if there is any surplus it is restricted for highway or road improvement projects, public transport provision and other environmental projects.

Funds generated from penalty charge notices will be ringfenced to fund the enforcement service and if there is any surplus it is restricted for highway or road improvement projects, public transport provision and other environmental projects, such as

• improving road safety
• tackling network congestion
• increasing public transport reliability
• improving air quality
• increasing lifespan of highway assets

When Devon County Council is ready to begin enforcing a site, this will be widely publicised and warning notices will be issued for first time offences for a period of six months following the ‘go live’ date

The government have issued statutory guidelines that regulate how Council’s must enforce moving traffic offences. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at the sites to be enforced and Penalty Charge Notices (PCN’s) will be issued via post to the Registered Keeper of the vehicle

Any Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) is issued to the Registered Keeper will include details on how a challenge can be made if the keeper believes their PCN has been unfairly served. As with parking PCN’s this must be in writing and within the timescales set out on the PCN. For the first six months of operation PCN Warning Notices will be sent for first time offences.

Challenges to PCNs can be made on the PCN webpage

For first time offences for a period of six months following the ‘go live’ date of each site, warning notices will be issued. These warning notices will not have a charge.

However, after a warning letter has been issued, or after the first 6 months, a penalty charge notice (PCN) may be issued. The penalty charge will be £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days).