More than 15k penalty notices handed out in town

By Gbam Godwin On Oct 23, 2025

More than 15k penalty notices handed out in town.

According to a council, over 15,000 penalty fee notifications have been issued in one of the town’s busiest areas during the last year.

According to Luton Borough Council, keeping traffic moving is one of the most difficult tasks in the Bury Park region, which is home to local businesses, neighbourhoods, and places of worship.

The administration is considering options to address the problem, such as imposing fines for parking on double red lines and installing more loading bays and disabled spaces.

According to Javed Hussain, deputy head of the Labour-led council, “Increasing pressures on the road network have resulted in more congestion, unsafe and indiscriminate parking, and reduced pedestrian safety.”

According to the authority, 15,395 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued in the Beech Hill ward, which contains Bury Park, between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.

So far, 10,314 notifications have been paid, but the “payment rate is likely to increase over time as those currently unpaid notices go through the statutory process”.

According to Hussain, four officers are deployed to the area six days a week. “To help us tackle this problem, we’re proposing a range of trial and permanent safety and traffic measures to reduce congestion and create a safer more accessible environment,” according to him.

Double red lines painted on a road near a pedestrian crossing. The lines bend round a corner.

According to the authority, the recommendations “are focused on better enforcement against illegal parking, easing congestion, and making the area safer for everyone”.

The primary steps include testing red routes on Leagrave Road, Dunstable Road, and Bury Park Road to reduce congestion and prevent unlawful parking. Hussain believes a one-way system along Kenilworth Road would better regulate traffic flow.

He stated that the red routes were clearly defined with double red lines and signage and will be in effect for an 18-month trial period.

“These restrictions prohibit stopping, parking or loading at any time to ensure traffic keeps moving,” according to him.

“Designated parking and loading bays will remain available along the route.” A survey on the authority’s ideas is set to close on November 9.