Cameras being installed in Basingstoke to catch drivers

Following a consultation, Hampshire County Council is installing cameras in Basingstoke in the next few months to ‘enforce moving traffic offences’.

The measure is aimed to catch motorists using the bus gate in Alencon Link, outside Basingstoke railway station in the town centre, which is a pedestrian zone except for buses.

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A second camera will be installed at the bus gate in Norn Hill, Basingstoke.

The ANPR (automatic numberplate recognition) cameras will be installed at the trial locations along with camera signs.

The council asked for views on the proposed locations and held a consultation between February 14 and March 27, 2022 before it was granted civil enforcement powers in July the same year.

The cameras will be installed at nine sites in total, with others in Winchester, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Fareham and Romsey.

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Drivers who breach the restrictions will receive a penalty charge notice of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.

Cllr Nick Adams-King, the county council’s cabinet lead for universal services including highways, previously said the new enforcement measures are being installed at locations where restrictions are “frequently ignored”.

He added: “The aim is to make these locations safer for all road users and to reduce congestion, with an exception that driver compliance will improve over time.”

This was made possible after the government granted new powers, previously held only by the police, to enable local authorities to undertake civil enforcement of traffic restrictions with a fine.

The council is updating its website when the cameras ‘go live’, with several already installed in March and April.