Over 4,000 PCNs Issued By Hartington Road ANPR Camera

Councillor claims residents who should be exempt are getting fines

Motorists have complained signs on Hartington Road are not clear

The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera on Hartington Road, Chiswick has issued more than 4,000 Penalty Charge Notices since it became operational in December of last year.

The number of 4065 was provided by council officer to Councillor Gabriella Giles, who represents the Chiswick Riverside ward in which the camera is situated.

The camera restricts access to vehicles travelling northbound on Hartington Road when they turn left off the A316. The restriction is designed to prevent drivers cutting through the Grove Park area and some residents are exempt but the area in which exemptions apply covers only a small proportion of Grove Park residents.

Motorists who have been caught out by the restriction have complained that they were unaware because they did not see the signs warning of the restriction.

Some residents of the Grove Park area outside the qualifying zone are unhappy about the restrictions saying that their wish to gain access to their homes should not be considered rat running.

Councillor Giles said, “If all these 4065 PCNs are paid within 14 days, LBH will already have netted £264,225 from this one camera alone in less than three months.

“In addition, 2,419 warning notices were issued during the initial period the APNR camera was in operation. So far 416 discounted payments at £65 each have been received and 2 payments at the full amount of £135 have been paid. 3,647 PCNs remain unpaid.”

Councillor Giles continued, “We suspect that many of these unpaid PCNs are PCNs issued to residents who should be exempt or who believe they should be exempt. Our standard advice to everyone is to appeal the fines on the grounds of inadequate signage, particularly at night.

“There has been a problem with rat running and speeding along Hartington Road which has been exacerbated by the closure of Hammersmith Bridge by LB Hammersmith & Fulham in 2019. But the restriction is unfair on local residents who live outside the very limited exemption zone and on carers, delivery drivers, tradespeople and people outside the area who are not familiar with the area.

“In addition, LBH and the Police have never introduced speed cameras on the road in order to control speeding.”

Vehicles permitted to travel northbound through the restriction are those registered at residential properties that sit within the geographical area covered by the ‘CS’ and ‘RV’ controlled parking zones. This is the area between the river, the London Overground railway line and national rail line Information relating to permit holder eligibility can be found on this link.

You can register your vehicle for exemption here.

The council has justified the restriction by saying that nearly 8,000 vehicles used Hartington Road on the average weekday at its busiest point with two thirds of all traffic is heading in a northbound direction. This northbound dominance of traffic continues on Bolton Road, Grove Park Road and Sutton Court Road, which the council believes shows the degree to which traffic uses this route as a cut through between the A316 and A4, in order to avoid Hogarth Roundabout.

The restriction is being imposed on a trial basis planned to last for a minimum of 6 months with an interim review due to take place shortly and the first formal review in June 2021 which will determine whether or not it will be made permanent.

March 18, 2021