• Ministers have indicated that they are prepared to hand controversial powers to councils to enforce civil penalties for minor driving offences
• Enforcing the rules is currently the job of the police but they rarely take formal action over so-called moving traffic violations
• This could bring the whole of England into line with London where local transport officials already use traffic cameras to issue penalty notices

Motorists face the threat of new automatic £130 fines imposed by cash-hungry councils under Government plans to give priority to cyclists and pedestrians after the pandemic.

Ministers have signalled that they are prepared to give controversial powers to councils to enforce civil penalties for minor driving offences such as straying into cycle lanes or stopping in box junctions. Enforcing the rules is currently the job of the police but they rarely take formal action over so-called moving traffic violations.

But to help councils fund and operate new cycle lanes and other traffic-reduction measures after the pandemic, Ministers are preparing to hand over legal powers of enforcement to local government officials.

The change would bring the whole of England into line with London where local transport officials currently use traffic cameras to issue more than a million penalty notices every year.

Fines in the capital are set at £130 for each offence. The move would mark a retreat from the Government’s previous position when Ministers refused to hand councils such powers, fearing they would treat motorists as cash-cows.

Junior Transport Minister Baroness Vere told the House of Lords that the Government was looking at giving councils enforcement powers under the 2004 Traffic Management Act.

It comes as the coronavirus crisis prompts plans for a dramatic expansion of cycling and walking to reduce the use of public transport in towns and cities.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps recently announced a £2billion package to fund new cycle lanes, wider pavements and safer junctions, but cycling campaigners and council chiefs say tougher enforcement of traffic laws is also required.

Both groups have long lobbied Ministers to activate Section 6 of the Traffic Act, which covers relatively minor violations such as driving in cycle lanes, disregarding one-way systems or box junction markings, and failing to give priority to oncoming traffic.

The Department for Transport announced on 25 March that all cars, vans and motorcycles which usually would require an MOT will be exempted from needing a test for six months from 30 March onwards. Drivers were told they would be held responsible for ensuring their vehicles remained roadworthy during the test extension, else face fines of £2,500 if caught at the wheel of an unsafe car post lockdown.

Only frontline workers reliant on their motors to get to and from work were told to continue having their vehicles tested during the strict restrictions to ensure their cars were safe to continue using on a daily basis.

The most MOTs were carried out in in the Birmingham area with 21,324 drivers taking their vehicles in for a test in April, and 18,170 assessments were carried out by garages in the Sheffield postcode area last month.

Perth in Central Scotland saw the biggest drop in MOTs last month, with tests down 86 per cent compared to March. Inverness saw 86 per cent fewer MOTs in April compared to the month previous.

Alex Buttle, director of Motorway.co.uk, said it was ‘surprising’ to see that three quarters of a million inspections had been carried out last month despite the government’s six-month MOT-test holiday

‘These figures from the DVSA show that despite motorists having the opportunity to postpone their MOT test, many have chosen not to do so, ‘ he explained.

‘Many garages are still open for MOTs, and anyone driving an older vehicle, which tend to be more susceptible to problems due to wear and tear, might be wise to take their car in close to the original MOT date to give it a full check and service.

‘It will give them the peace of mind that it’s in good condition and mechanically sound at the present time.

‘And if owners are looking to protect the value of their car for selling in the future, then a heavily-delayed MOT may be an issue for some buyers.’

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