Mayor and TfL launch new team to crack down on congestion

A new team of TfL Transport Enforcement Officers are to be deployed at key junctions and roads to keep traffic flowing.

The team will work alongside the Metropolitan Police Roads and Transport Police Command, which was launched by the Mayor in January 2013, and has 2,300 Officers.

Targeting ten key routes that carry half a million bus passengers and 300,000 car and taxi passengers every day, they aim to crack down on illegal or inconsiderate behaviour and any further problems that cause congestion.

The team will also help with problems such as illegal stopping or unloading of deliveries, which cause delays to drivers and bus passengers. Penalty Charge Notices will be issued to illegally parked cars and any poorly set up roadworks will be cleared.

The new team has 40 Officers, which will rise to 80 by next spring. For the first time, TfL will have its own officers who have the power to direct traffic around congestion on London’s roads. The will also have access to real time information and data and send intelligence back from the street to TfL’s control room.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “This is one of a number of targeted actions we’re taking to tackle congestion and reduce delays on the roads. In January we launched the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command and this new team will work closely with them to help keep London moving. They will play a key role in tackling problems that lead to tailbacks and take a zero-tolerance approach towards inconsiderate or illegal behaviour that can cause unnecessary gridlock.”

Through TfL’s network of traffic cameras and help from almost 25,000 bus drivers who can contact the control room, the team will be alerted of any issues on the roads so that they can be resolved quickly, with intelligence analysing the data to prevent reoccurring problems.

They will also work with business’s who travel along the busy routes, giving advice on re-timing and helping improve the way they receive and manage deliveries.

TfL provide an open data policy, enabling app developers to access real time data feeds, so they can provide travel information apps to help road users plan their journey efficiently. With up to the minute, real-time journey information, along with an active twitter news feed as an immediate source of information about traffic across London, the public have a better opportunity to avoid busy areas.

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