Camera outside fire station rakes in parking fines of nearly £1mn

Evening Standard/LondonA single box junction camera in Hackney has raked in nearly £1mn a year from motorists for Transport for London.The yellow box junction, adjacent to Homerton Fire Station on Homerton High Street, has a camera permanently trained on it, put in place to ensure fire engines can exit in case of an emergency.But angry motorists who have been issued with a £130 penalty charge after being caught on the constantly monitored camera claim TfL is using the box simply to make extra revenue.Figures released thanks to a Freedom of Information request show that between 1 February 2013 and 31 January 2014 TfL issued 14,412 penalty charge notices from the camera, collecting £989,533 - an average of around 40 motorists fined every day and a daily revenue of just over £2,700.TfL added that between 1 February and 12 December 2014 a further 11,816 motorists were issued fines, generating £715,433 in payments.Anne Kendall, who lives in Bexhill-on-Sea and uses the route to visit family in London, said: “If you’re in traffic you just don’t see it. A bus pulled out from a side street stopping traffic, I had no idea I was doing anything wrong.“When I asked how long I was in the box for, TfL told me eight seconds. If they want to provide access for the firemen they could just have a ‘keep clear’ sign.”Mia Barnes, who lives in Hackey, said: “My fine was issued despite the fact I was not actually in the box. My wheel touched the paint at the edge of it.”TfL enforces all of the capital’s red routes and monitors 450 box junctions.TfL declined to comment on the camera on Homerton High Street and Steve Burton, the organisation’s director of enforcement and on-street operations, said its “overriding focus is ensuring that we keep London moving and reduce delays, not raising revenue through fines”.He added: “Blocking yellow box junctions can have a significant impact on road users, causing delays to motorists and the emergency services. It is critical we keep these junctions clear for the benefit of all road users.”