A report by The Times in November claimed this particular yellow box took over £450,000 in fines over eight months.
Kingston council disputed the figure at the time.
It said the figure came from erroneously combining the fines of “two separate yellow box junctions in close proximity to each other.”
But drivers have been complaining about the junction for years.
They say one of the biggest problems is having to make way for a cycle lane which runs right through it. If a car is already committed to turning, and a cyclist suddenly comes along, the car has to give way, which means unavoidably stopping in the yellow box junction. The cycle lane runs in both directions on both sides of the road across Westbury Road and Elm Road.
It’s the same problem for drivers who indicate late when they are turning into Westbury Road, suddenly stopping, meaning once again, drivers who are already committed to moving, even if the road has been clear before, are automatically trapped in the junction.
Another problem is the level crossing in Elm Road. If it is stuck down for a long time, the traffic builds up onto Kingston Road, meaning, because of the size of the box junction, drivers claim they are worried about moving, leading to gridlock along Elm Road and into the nearby Groves, which contain two schools and a school street, which means traffic has no option but to stay stationary.
Drivers say putting traffic lights on the junction mean you can be moving freely, but the moment the lights go red, there is no option but to stop in the junction. People campaigning for the junction’s removal say far from making the road safer, it is making the road more dangerous as some drivers have been seen to “mount the pavement” to avoid the junction once they realise the lights are going to go red and they are no longer clear.
A public meeting on the future of the yellow box will take place at Richard Challoner School on Thursday, January the 22nd at 7.00pm.
