Drivers will now be fined if they are found parked in a cycle lane due to tighter rules to improve the safety of our roads.

The Department for Transport has said councils will now be allowed to use cameras to police cycle lanes for the first time.

This will be to prevent drivers blocking routes and also promote the use of bikes in built-up areas.

Councils could now impose fines of up to £70, which could go up to £130 in London if you are found parked in a bike lane.

The move is part of a two-year action plan introduced by the DfT to improve road safety and make cycling and walking the “natural choices” for all short journeys by 2040.

This comes after 18,220 cyclists were injured and 101 were killed on the roads last year.

Currently, CCTV cameras can only be used to fine motorists in set locations such as bus lanes, local authority car parks and outside schools.

The new powers will extend CCTV coverage to “mandatory cycle lanes”, those separated from traffic by a continuous white line, for the first time.

Jesse Norman, the roads minister, said: “We want to improve air quality, encourage healthy exercise, reduce obesity and boost our high streets and economic productivity.

“That means more support for cycling and walking, and that’s what these new measures are designed to deliver.”

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