Three Bexley MPs have struck back at Transport for London (TfL) for not offering compensation to drivers fined for exceeding a temporary speed limit.
The 40mph speed limit was imposed on the residential A20 Sidcup Road while work was carried out due to flooding in October 2023.
A Crown Court ruled TFL’s “ludicrous” speed reduction from 70mph to 40mph as unlawful last month, because the TFL manager who signed it did not have the authority to do so.
The limit resulted in many road-users receiving fines despite confusion over the signposting, with at least one 50mph road sign being in place until January 2024.
The ruling followed a two-year legal battle and campaign backed by Conservative MPs Louie French, Laura Trott, and Gareth Bacon on behalf of road users.
TFL defended the speed limit’s introduction, which saw an estimated 66,000 drivers wrongly given a total of £6.6 million in illegal fines on the eastbound road between Sidcup and Swanley.
Anna Gurr, 43, said: “I was driving my husband to and from Blackheath Hospital for his cancer treatment.
“I was travelling at 47 mph, believing the limit was 50 and did not see any signage stating that the limit was 40.
“I have held a clean UK driving licence for over 25 years, so it was a shock to find out I was being prosecuted.
“I was issued with a fixed penalty fine of £100 and 3 penalty points on my licence, or there was the option to contest it in court, which could lead to £1000 fine and 6 points.
“I was terrified that I would get another letter and potentially lose my licence, as I had been doing that journey regularly to take my husband to have hospital treatment.
“Losing my licence would have had a massive impact on his treatment and our family as a whole.”
Gurr added: “It’s disgusting that TfL are not engaging with this to put things right. The fact that the Mayor of London has not even acknowledged the scandal is outrageous.”
“It seems there is no consideration for the impact this has had on people’s lives.”
Lee Ward, 39, received two tickets in the span of three days, driving 46mph and 47mph respectively.
He said: “I already had 6 points on my licence at the time, so with these two tickets it took me up to 12 points. I had to go to court to fight my case to keep my licence.
“As a private hire driver in Bromley, I was at risk of losing my job. I was lucky enough that the cab company I work for kept my spot open for me to return to work straight after my ban.”
“I lost my case in court and as a result, was slapped with a £430 fine and a 6 month ban. I found this extremely harsh at the time and it put enormous stress financially, mentally and emotionally on my family.”
During this 6-month period, Lee couldn’t find a temporary job and had to “get by” living at home.
He said: “I wasn’t left with much of a choice.”
Dean Statham, 55, was fired from his job as a medical delivery driver when they found out he had been caught speeding for three days in a row.
He went to court to fight the charges, but ultimately lost his case, which he says he “thinks about every day.”
TFL said they will not be offering compensation for drivers who have been affected by this and will be resisting forthcoming appeals challenging this decision.
Drivers found speeding are currently unable to have these points removed from their record.
A TfL spokesperson said: “We remain confident that enforcement of the speed limit here was necessary, given the safety risks, and we will be resisting forthcoming appeals challenging our enforcement action.
“Safety is our number one priority and we temporarily introduced a 40mph speed limit on the A20 Sidcup Road in response to a number of incidents caused by ongoing flooding issues, which posed a risk to life.”
“While we are aware of this Crown Court ruling, we understand that it does not set a binding precedent on any other cases and we will be supporting the Metropolitan Police in resisting the upcoming appeals.”
Following the court’s judgment, the Met, Transport for London and the Crown Prosecution Service have worked together to assess the implications of the court’s findings.
The Met has said it would be inappropriate to comment while The Crown Prosecution Service is still considering accreditation arrangements that were in place at the relevant time.
In a letter sent to the Mayor on November 2, Louie French MP called the A20 scandal “morally outrageous”.
French said: “We have not even received an acknowledgement that the TFL Commissioner is investigating, giving the impression that City Hall is simply hoping the matter will go away.
“It is concerning that this does not appear to be a priority for you.
“A great many people have suffered significant harm as a result.”
The issue arose during the appeal proceedings and had not previously been identified as a matter requiring consideration.
The three MPs have demanded that compensation be offered, and pushed for a dedicated redress scheme to help those affected.
This comes after their initial letter sent to Mayor Sadiq Khan on October 15 and a prompt sent on October 26 received no response.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “It is incorrect to suggest that the mayor or TfL misled anybody in relation to these fines, and TfL remain confident that enforcement of the speed limit here was necessary given the safety risks.
“No wrongdoing was alleged by the court, Traffic Regulation Orders were made lawfully, and all TfL staff acted in accordance with authorisation.”
Featured image: Wikipedia Creative Commons/Oast House Archive
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