Drivers quizzed on motoring fines

The consultation will last three months

Drivers are being invited to have their say on the level of fines for minor motoring offences in London.

They will be asked whether there should be a sliding scale of fines to reflect the severity of the offence.

Currently the fine for all offences in central London is £100, reduced to £50 for prompt payment.

Motorists will be asked about fines for a range of parking and motoring offences such as blocking box junctions and ignoring no-entry signs.

'Sufficient deterrent'

The three-month consultation ends on 16 October and is being carried out by the Association of London Government (ALG) and Transport for London (TfL).

The levels of the penalties are reviewed every four years, the ALG said.

Nick Lester, of ALG, denied parking fines were a revenue generating operation.

"Fines are set at the lowest point necessary to create sufficient deterrent," he said.

"What we're trying to do is just control traffic to make London's streets actually work better for everybody."

Kevin Delaney, of the RAC Foundation, said the penalty scheme needed to be proportional so that the level of the fine reflected the seriousness of the offence.

He said the appeal process needed to be changed to make it easier for drivers to challenge a parking fine.

"People are put off from disputing a ticket because they run the risk of losing the discount for early payment of a fine," he said.

Any changes to the levels of fines will be announced in December and introduced on 1 April 2007.