Congestion charge and LTN fines cancelled after council realised drivers were 'deceased'

Several Low Traffic Neighbourhood and congestion charge fines have been cancelled after the local council found out the vehicle owners had passed away.

New data suggests that 13 penalty charge notices for LTNs and Oxford's congestion charge had been cancelled due to vehicle owners being dead.

Oxfordshire County Council first introduced its congestion charge in October at six locations across the city.

It charges drivers £5 to travel through six roads, with the measures being launched to address traffic concerns stemming from work at Botley Road, which is set to reopen soon.

The county council states that the scheme has been introduced as a temporary measure and will only be operational for a maximum of two years.

At this point, a traffic filters trial will launch with the aim of reducing traffic, making bus journeys faster and allowing for new and improved bus routes.

Since the congestion charge was introduced last year, around 257,000 fines have been issued to those breaking road rules.

Data obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service states that the 13 penalty charge notices belonged to "deceased" people.

While it does not show how the vehicles belonging to dead owners entered restricted zones, the PCNs have been categorised as to why they were cancelled.

Around 14,000 fines have been scrapped in total by Oxfordshire County Council, with a total of 64 causes.

This includes the vehicle owner being in prison (two), ambulances entering restricted areas (36), and even one diplomatic vehicle.

More than 1,000 fines were issued and rescinded for taxis, and a staggering 4,000 vehicles were without a registered keeper.

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Drivers can be slapped with a £70 penalty charge notice if their vehicle is clocked by an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera.

While this can be reduced by half to £35 if it is paid within 14 days, drivers who ignore the fine for more than a month will face new costs of £105.

The congestion charge only applies to cars and motorhomes, although, unlike other road user chargers, electric vehicles are not exempt.

Motorists face charges if they do not get a daily permit for Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clements Street, Thames Street, Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way.

Oxfordshire County Council recently confirmed that revenue from the congestion charge would be used to expand free park and ride bus travel.

The multi-million investment was confirmed by the council's cabinet earlier this month and will see the parking offer extended from mid-August to the end of March 2027.

Commenting on the success of the congestion charge, Councillor Gareth Epps, cabinet member for transport, said: "The temporary congestion charge is giving residents and visitors to the city faster journeys, cleaner air, reduced traffic and safer streets.

"The measures we have agreed to fund today go some way towards tackling some of the persistent traffic problems we've seen, and also help to spread the benefits of the scheme as widely as possible, ensuring workers in our schools and hospitals, too, see the benefits."