West Sussex road safety: Council requests new powers to deal with offenders

West Sussex County Council is planning to use new powers to ‘improve safety and tackle congestion’ by enforcing moving traffic offences in the county.

A spokesperson said: “The county council has applied to the Department for Transport (DfT) for additional powers to enable it to enforce offences which could previously only be enforced by the police. A public consultation is currently live and we are seeking feedback on the locations where these additional powers are initially proposed to be used.”

The council has now applied to be allowed to enforce key highway restrictions or prohibitions with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) enforcement cameras. If successful, these powers will be used across the county with the aim of: improving road safety and active travel initiatives; tackling congestion issues and increasing the number of drivers complying with the rules of the road.

"In addition to meeting these aims, this initial approach will complement work currently being undertaken as part of the West Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan,” the council spokesperson said.

"This plan sets out the council’s ambitions to sustain the bus network and help it flourish through increased passenger numbers, targeted reductions in fares, less pollution, more high-frequency services, improved rural transport and multi-modal ticketing.”

Should the powers be granted, it is intended that the council will roll out the use of ANPR to ‘enforce other types of moving traffic contraventions’.

To comment on the enforcement of moving traffic offences at the two sites proposed, you can complete the questions online.

This consultation will run for a further four weeks, closing on March 29. If you have any questions about this consultation, or would like to request the information in a different format, you can email [email protected] or call 0330 222 9303.