Drivers are about to face a new front in the war on motorists with County Hall installing roadside surveillance cameras to detect traffic offences.
Norfolk County Council hopes the devices will bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines to help plug its £46.2m budget gap.
But motoring groups have criticised the plans, saying they may put the Conservative-led authority on a "collision course" with the government.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said recently that he was "slamming the brakes on the war on motorists", amid concerns that local authorities were using traffic infractions as a way to raise revenues.
County Hall intends to install the cameras within weeks to detect drivers committing 'moving traffic offences', such as ignoring bans on turns, going into bus lanes and down pedestrianised streets.
Until now, Norfolk motorists committing such offences could only be caught by police officers.
But the government had announced councils would be given powers to issue £70 penalty notices to drivers it caught and County Hall secured permission to do so.
The county council, facing a huge budget gap, hopes to start installing cameras in six streets from November to snare law-breaking motorists.
Council papers state that would bring in £250,000 in fines between 2024 and 2027.
The first cameras would be in Norwich and Great Yarmouth and the council has said cameras could be used in other locations in future years.
Which streets would be covered?
The Norwich streets due to be covered are:
Gentlemen’s Walk – pedestrian/cycle zone with access for loading only permitted between certain times of the day.
Carrow Road/King Street – devices in both streets will enforce the right turn ban on to King Street during morning and evening peak times in order to ease congestion.
Martineau Lane – the right turn ban to Europa Way industrial estate on the outer ring road.
Dereham Road - enforcing bus lane violations near Norwich Road and Marl Pit Lane.
In Great Yarmouth, Regent Road would be covered - a pedestrian zone with access for loading only during quieter periods of the day, which the council says is often violated by vehicles.
The council said locations of future moving traffic enforcement sites would be based on feedback from various sources, including councillors, the public and transport operators.
Officers said assessment of highway network performance, with the aim of improving road safety and the flow of traffic, would also be considered and new sites would be subject to consultation.
READ MORE: More Norfolk streets set to have parking charges introduced
'Cameras should not be used to make money'
However, after Mr Sunak unveiled a number of pro-motorist policies, the county council is seeking guidance on whether it would be appropriate to use the cameras - and a motoring organisation has slammed its intention to use the cameras to make money.
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said: “If Norfolk County Council is planning to try to fill some of its revenue gap with fines from moving traffic offence cameras, then it might find itself on a collision course with transport secretary Mark Harper.
"He has just laid out his intention to stop local authorities doing just that in the government’s new ‘Plan for drivers’.
"It is plain wrong that the council thinks it can raise £250,000 from moving traffic offences.
"The only way such high amounts can be generated is if drivers aren’t given adequate advance warning of when bus lanes are in operation or where bus gates are."
Andrew Jamieson, Norfolk County Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said the council was seeking clarification from the Department for Transport about the use of cameras.
The council has said, if the cameras are brought in, then, for the first six months of them becoming operational drivers would get warning letters for the first offence and fined for subsequent ones.
After they have been in place for six months, there would be no warning letters, with fines straight away.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here