Transport for London (TfL) has launched a campaign called 'Know the Rules' to remind London drivers of the regulations and penalties involved in civil traffic offences.

Through better awareness of these rules we hope to reduce the number of traffic offences in the Capital

Campaign leaflets, roadside posters and press advertisements will remind people of the dos and don'ts of bus lanes, yellow box junctions, red routes, yellow lines and 21 road signs. The campaign will run until early December.

'Know the Rules' is part of the overall strategy to reduce congestion on London's roads, and it has been shown that drivers following these regulations have a significant impact on traffic flow.

TfL's Head of Traffic Enforcement, Patrick Troy, said: "All drivers should be aware of these road regulations from the Highway Code, but this campaign aims to act as a reminder.

"These regulations are crucial to traffic flow which impacts on all road users - the more drivers follow the rules, the more safe and reliable the roads will be.

"We have already seen real improvements on some roads in London which has meant average bus speeds have gone up and journey times have gone down.

"Compliance with the rules ultimately saves everyone a lot of time and money."

Councillor Daniel Moylan, Executive Member for Transport and Environment for London Councils, which is co-sponsoring the campaign, said: "Transport in the Capital can be a highly emotive issue. Local councils play a key role in helping to keep London moving through the proper enforcement of traffic offences.

"However, part of that role is a duty to ensure our local communities are fully aware of what constitutes a traffic offence - particularly with regards to red routes and yellow boxes.

Better awareness

"Through better awareness of these rules we hope to reduce the number of traffic offences in the Capital and make roads safer across London."

Leaflets explaining the rules and penalties of the Moving Traffic Offences and parking regulations are currently being sent out with every Penalty Charge Notice issued by TfL.

They are available in large print, audio CD and in the following foreign languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Greek, Gujurati, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

For more information visit www.tfl.gov.uk

  • The "Know the Rules" campaign was launched in October and will run until early December
  • TfL only enforces Moving Traffic Offences on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN)
  • The TLRN comprises 580km of London's busiest roads, many of them Red Routes. These roads make up around five per cent of the total London road network, but carry around 33 per cent of the Capital's traffic
  • Compliance has gone up in some areas where bus mounted cameras have become a visible deterrent. At one site between July 2000 and July 2005 PCNs per hour of viewed footage reduced from 12 to 0.1
  • Buses now travel 12.6 per cent faster in bus lanes than on normal road
  • Between the end of 2004 and the end of 2005 bus speed in bus lanes increased by five per cent
  • At another observed site, cycle use of an enforced bus lane has increased by 80 per cent
  • Passenger time savings across London have so far been calculated at around £25m a year
  • London Councils is the organisation formerly known as the ALG. It represents the 32 London boroughs and the City of London