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The sneaky box junction that's netted £1m in fines (and even road bosses admit markings are deceptive)
By Ryan Kisiel Last updated at 11:00 AM on 11th April 2011

Motorists have been hit with more than £1million in penalty fines at just one road junction – even though traffic bosses privately admit the road markings on it are somewhat deceptive.

More than 9,000 drivers were fined £120 each after being photographed entering the box junction, but not being able to drive out of it before the traffic lights changed.

Under the Highway Code, motorists must not enter the box until the exit road or lane in front is clear.
Danger zone: The triangle behind our red line is catching out motorists

But the extended yellow criss-cross lines at the junction in South London mean drivers taking one of the left turns are getting stuck in the box junction.

Cameras monitoring the junction have caught out dozens each day because of its frequent traffic jams. A total of 9,098 fines were handed out to motorists unable to leave the box junction on the A3 in Clapham, South-West London, since February last year.

But emails between Government transport bosses have revealed they knew drivers would be caught out. In one, an unnamed Department of Transport official emailed a Transport for London colleague saying: ‘Concern has been expressed about the south-west corner.
‘It seems obvious that they cannot see around the corner from the location of the stop line which is very set back. There may be a case for drawing the box back.’

The TfL official responded that the official’s observation was correct but argued that the exit did eventually become visible.
The discussion ended with the Department for Transport official writing that drivers ‘may be left in a somewhat awkward situation’ but agreeing to authorise the junction.
TfL bosses collected up to £180,000 in fines between February and June last year. Fines were temporarily suspended from June last year until September when it was realised that TfL’s plan of the junction was inaccurate.

Paul Pearson, of motoring campaign group Penalty Charge Notice, said: ‘They are raking in a fortune when some motorists are confused.’