Penalty notices issued for driving through a Red X sign on motorway from 2019 to 2021

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.022523

I note you seek access to the following information:

How many penalty notices has the Metropolitan Police issued to motorists for driving through a Red X sign on a motorway, since June 2019? If possible, please provide the information per month.

If possible please could you also provide the same information per month over the two years up to June 2019 – so in total each month since June 2017.

If possible please also specify the location, or the road, where the Red X relevant to each penalty notice was displayed.

I’ve sent this because I understand your police force area contains a section of ‘Smart’ motorway -- where a Red X can be displayed above a lane to indicate motorists should not drive on through it. If this isn’t relevant to your force because your area doesn’t in fact have one, it would be useful to know.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please see attached data for Red X Lane closure TOR offences. The MPS was not able to find data before December 2019, titled 01-FOI-22-022523, pursuant to your request above.

Please note the MPS does not hold data regarding any red x enforcement of the HADEC 3 cameras on our stretch of the M25 as we have delegated authority to enforce to Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire.

Motorway red X signs indicating a closed lane are now being enforced by cameras. Home Office legislation which came into effect on 10 June 2019 allows Highways England to use cameras to automatically issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to drivers who ignore the red X signs on motorway gantries.