Victory for drivers as council cuts size of yellow box junction that raked in nearly £2million in fines

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:16, 30 April 2026 | Updated: 15:20, 30 April 2026 Drivers have emerged victorious after a council scaled back a controversial yellow box junction that raked in nearly £2million in fines amid backlash from motorists. The traffic measure in Croydon, southeast London, has landed tens of thousands of drivers with £160 fines since it was first painted back in 2017. The box, which campaigners claimed was twice the size it needed to be, has since been cut back in size, with the area replaced with 'Keep Clear' road markings. Sam Wright, known as the Yellow Box Guru, found the Addiscombe Road junction had generated almost £2million for the council after submitting an FOI request.  Mr Wright also revealed he had even helped a motorist take a fine from the junction to a tribunal in March, after an appeal was rejected by the authority. There, a parking adjudicator ruled that the yellow box was 'disproportionately large' and 'fundamentally flawed', and quashed the man's fine. The adjudicator also ordered the local authority, which has declared bankruptcy since late 2020, to cancel any outstanding fines for the same reason. Half of the yellow box extended across the private driveway of the No 1 Croydon office building. Its positioning and size meant vehicles were forced to wait for unreasonable gaps at the end of the box to avoid being unfairly penalised. Mr Wright, who uses knowledge from his previous Transport for London (TfL) job to help drivers fight fines, said the motorist contacted him after his video on the box became 'popular'. The traffic measure in Croydon, southeast London, (pictured)  has landed tens of thousands of drivers with £160 fines since it was first painted back in 2017 Croydon council has since scaled back the yellow box on Addiscombe Road junction after a parking adjudicator ruled that the yellow box was 'disproportionately large' 'The box was twice as big as it needed to be. It extended outside an office block 50 per cent bigger than it needed to be,' he said.  'It's good that it's been cut back. I give credit to Croydon Council for doing something about it.' An FOI request revealed that 26,244 fines of £160, translating to a revenue gain of around £1.9million, have been issued since the box was installed in January 2017. Mr Wright, welcoming Croydon Council's decision to remove part of the box, called on other London councils to follow suit. 'Hundreds and maybe thousands of drivers will now be saved from the hassle of getting a ticket there,' he said. 'There's nothing stopping other London councils from chopping back their dodgy boxes as well.' A spokesperson for Croydon Council said the box was cut back following a review. 'The Council values the feedback we receive from the community, and we closely monitor what people say about our public highways,' they said. 'We listened to this feedback and responded by conducting a review of the yellow box junction at East Croydon earlier this year. 'The yellow box was installed decades ago and, as a result of the review, we have changed the road markings to include a reduced box junction and 'Keep Clear' road markings, to ensure the efficient flow of vehicles on the network. 'The Council will continue to respond to residents while balancing its responsibilities for safety across its roads. 'Motorists can contact the council's highways and parking team if they have queries or concerns re this box junction, and we will review each query on a case-by-case basis.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.