The fixed penalty notice amount in Wales for a driver who is believed to be committing a stationary idling offence and refuses to turn the vehicle engine off when asked is set to increase under proposals from the Welsh Government.
Via current legislation, a local authority in Wales (LA) may issue such a driver with a fixed penalty notice for £20, which rises to £40 if it is not paid within the period specified. The Welsh Government is now consulting on a new penalty range that will give LAs scope to set the sum at between £50 and £100 that will be increase by 50% if not settled.
Outlined in the proposals is how stationary engine idling “is an unnecessary contributor to air pollution and noise” that “also wastes fuel and increases costs.” Coaches left idling have previously threatened the future of six parking bays in London.
A proposed increase in the penalty in Wales sits alongside a range of other actions to raise awareness of idling, the consultation continues. Those may include communication campaigns and guidance to LAs to develop their own behaviour change strategies.
“Our focus is on supporting and encouraging drivers, and we see penalties as a tool of last resort,” the Welsh Government says. “We also recognise that LAs need appropriate tools to take enforcement action when necessary.”
Legislation in Wales leaves a driver who commits a stationary idling offence and refuses to turn off the engine liable for a fine of up to £1,000 on summary conviction, but an option to dispose of the matter via a fixed penalty notice also exists under that provision.
The current sum was set more than 20 years ago and has not increased with inflation in that time, the consultation continues. “Welsh Government believes that the penalty amount of £20 insufficiently reflects the seriousness of the potential risk of pollution to public health and is too low to act as sufficient deterrence,” it adds.
If the proposed changes are adopted, the fixed penalty amount will be brought more into line with that for other environmental offences. LAs in Wales have fed back that the current £20 may be too low for them to economically enforce.
The consultation runs to 30 September. If adopted, regulations will come into force on 1 August 2026.
Consultation document in full here.
