Driver says ‘ridiculous’ A20 speeding fines ‘ruined his life’ following TfL’s temporary change in speed limit
A motorist has said his life was ruined in the space of a week after he accrued nine fines and a six-month driving ban for exceeding a temporary 40mph speed limit.
Thomas Wood was one of thousands of drivers who received “deeply unfair” and “life-altering” penalties for speeding along the A20.
Restrictions on part of the road, between the Crittall’s Corner roundabout, in Sidcup, and the Swanley services, were dropped temporarily from 70mph and 50mph to 40mph in October 2023 by Transport for London (TfL).
While the temporary limit was in place, it is understood more than 60,000 notices of intended prosecution (NIPs) were issued to motorists for speeding by the Metropolitan Police.
Many have argued they were unaware the speed restrictions had changed and claimed there was “inadequate” and small signage, while others have pointed to conflicting signs, with at least one 50mph marker still being up on January 24, 2024.
It is thought the incorrect sign, on the approach to the BP garage, was placed by a third party and the Met Police previously confirmed it was investigating it as an attempt to pervert the course of justice.
No culprit was ever identified and the case was closed.
Drivers have been calling for the NIPs to be revoked for the last year but the Met Police has insisted it would not be cancelling them and any appeals would need to be challenged in court.
Speaking to KentOnline, motorist Thomas Wood explained he received nine fines dated between December 31, 2023, and January 9, 2024, for speeds between 45mph and 49mph.
However, he claims he was a victim of the wrongly erected 50mph sign, which he saw and abided by, unwittingly causing him to exceed the new 40mph limit.
The 36-year-old said: “When I travelled the first day and saw the speed limit had changed from 70mph to 50mph, I did not think anything of it but there were no signs warning of a change in speed limit.
“I was going back to work after some time off and the sign said 50mph and so I travelled under that. I was travelling at the speed I was directed to do.
“I tried to be careful and had the car on cruise control. I trusted the sign and did not expect to drive down a road and the sign be wrong.
“I knew instantly that I was going to receive more but I was hoping I would only get two or three but for the next week, I was getting a least a letter a day.
“I was shell-shocked. I drove for a living and knew my carer was finished. I felt stupid but I knew it was not my fault.”
A Met spokesperson previously said its prosecution team, which deals with speeding offences, had taken legal advice and where the 50mph sign was “would not have impacted the enforcement of the 40mph average speed limit”.
They claimed if someone had travelled at 40mph, then sped up to 50mph after seeing the now-removed sign, their average speed of the section covered by cameras would not have resulted in a speeding ticket.
However, this has been disputed by many drivers, including Thomas, citing their own NIPs as evidence this is not true.
Thomas had driven along that stretch of the A20 for around seven years to get to his job at a butchers in Swanley. He started as a driver for the firm before working his way up to transport manager.
Before that, he had driven for careers working as a courier or delivery man and says he had never committed a traffic offence before.
Due to the number of NIPs issued, Thomas was unable to appeal them with the Met Police and was sent to Bromley Magistrate’s Court where he received 15 points on his licence and a six-month driving ban.
As a result, he was forced to step down from his manager job but without experience in other fields, he struggled to find work.
Thomas, who lives in Mottingham, southeast London, added: “I would go for interviews but my CV was just driving, driving, driving, that is all I have ever done. I have always driven but I could not apply for those jobs.
“I went from earning around £40,000 a year to looking for a job. The most I could earn with my experience in other industries is £25,000.
“As soon as you mention a driving ban, people have a stereotype and think you have done something wrong or that you are untrustworthy which is the opposite of my character. You get told you are a wrong-un.
“It has ruined my life. I look like I am unreliable and I do not blame them, it is what is on paper.
“I have not done anything wrong but to the courts and the rest of the world, I have. It is unjustified.”
Although he got his licence back last week (March 21), he still has six points on it and a marker stating he has previously been banned from driving.
He said: “I did not want to accept the NIPs as I thought they were unjustified. The sign was wrong and erected illegally.
“It is just ridiculous. It has had such ramifications on people’s lives and no one is being held accountable.”
Motorists and MPs in both Kent and London have been calling for an independent investigation to be held after hundreds of their constituents were fined.
They strongly believe the signage erected by TfL was inadequate and many were “wrongly” fined for travelling at speeds less than 50mph and accumulated several NIPs due to using the commuter route daily.
Cllr Thomas Turrell, the Conservative Bexley and Bromley representative at the London Assembly, the governing body which holds the Mayor of London to account, called on Sadiq Khan to pause prosecutions until an investigation can be conducted.
At a meeting held last week on March 20, Sir Khan said he would not support the motion and told members he would need to wait for the outcome of the High Court appeal.
Cllr Turrell told KentOnline: "I am disappointed that the Mayor will not pause prosecutions against motorists whilst an investigation continues into how badly TfL have run the A20 speed reduction.
“This has been a complete calamity, and we need answers. To continue with prosecutions just adds insult to injury.
“I will continue to push for an independent investigation to stop TfL marking their own homework, and fight for justice for the motorists affected."
Previously, Sevenoaks MP Laura Trott sent a letter to the mayor alongside the MP for Orpington, Gareth Bacon, and the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, Louie French, also calling for action.
It said: “In our view, the sheer number of fines issued during this period should be considered prima facie evidence of the inadequacy of the signage for the temporary speed restrictions.
“We therefore strongly believe these fines were deeply unfair, and some of our decent, hard-working, constituents have been left with life-altering consequences because of a temporary speed restriction.”
A spokesperson for TfL previously said the 40mph signage installed was “correct and compliant with the regulations”.
They added: “Safety is our number one priority, and we temporarily introduced a 40mph speed limit on the A20 Sidcup Road in response to a number of incidents caused by ongoing flooding issues, which posed a risk to life.
“New regular speed limit signage, compliant with all traffic sign regulations, was installed to ensure that everyone driving on this stretch of road was aware of the new limit.”
The temporary speed was introduced along the Kent-bound carriageway as an “emergency” due to safety concerns over surface water flooding, which had caused vehicles to aquaplane and crash.
The speed limit was reinstated in August 2024 following permanent drainage works on the road.