The first new moving traffic enforcement camera is set to go live in Northampton at Upton Valley Way East, at its junction with Banbury Lane, on Sunday 1 November. A second camera at Weedon Road, near the junction with Spencer Bridge Road, is expected to follow after final testing.
These cameras are part of the Council’s initiative to expand moving traffic enforcement, aiming to enhance road safety, decrease congestion, and facilitate smoother traffic movement. Previous enforcement efforts have shown that over 80 per cent of motorists who received a penalty charge notice subsequently avoided further offences.
The camera at Upton Valley Way will enforce a banned right turn at its junction with Banbury Lane. The Weedon Road camera will target the yellow box junction at Spencer Bridge Road. The introduction of these new sites follows extensive assessment and a public consultation involving emergency services, bus operators, and road safety teams.
Additional locations being commissioned include banned turns at Collingwood Road (junction with St Matthew’s Parade) and yellow box junctions at St Peter’s Way (junction with Weston Wharf), Cliftonville Road (entrance to the hospital), Harborough Road (at the Cock Hotel junction and with the A5095), and Mere Way (opposite the fire station and at the Wootton Hall Park junction). Restrictions on entry or one-way streets will also be enforced at St Giles’ Square, between Wood Hill and Derngate. The remaining eight sites will become operational as infrastructure, testing, and approvals are finalised.
The aim here is simple, we want our roads to be safer, and we want traffic to keep moving. Restrictions like banned turns and yellow boxes are there for a reason. When drivers ignore them, they can cause unnecessary congestion and delays and create risks for other road users. We’ve already seen that enforcement can change behaviour, with most drivers who receive a penalty not going on to offend again. That’s what we want to see from these new locations too. This is not about catching people out. It’s about encouraging people to follow the rules, reducing disruption and helping everyone get where they need to be.
The Council will adopt a phased approach, similar to earlier enforcement sites. For the initial six months, first-time offenders will receive a warning instead of a fine, allowing motorists to familiarise themselves with the new restrictions. Enforcement will utilise Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, with all recorded contraventions reviewed by a trained officer before a penalty charge notice is issued.
