Sadiq Khan has been accused of overseeing a cover-up after a temporary speed limit on the A20 allegedly led to more than 66,000 motorists being fined, raising an estimated £6 million for Transport for London.
The 70mph limit between Sidcup and Swanley was reduced to 40mph in October 2023 after several vehicles reportedly left the road in wet conditions. The restriction remained in place for about a year while drainage work was completed.
Drivers caught by a speed camera received £100 fines and three penalty points. Some motorists are understood to have lost their driving licences or jobs as a result.
Documents are now alleged to show that the traffic order authorising the A20 speed limit was unlawful, potentially invalidating the fines. Claims have also been made that TfL staff were aware of concerns about the order as far back as two years ago.
When some motorists challenged their penalties in court, TfL managers and Metropolitan Police workers gave evidence under oath that the reduction had been introduced lawfully.
However, a Crown Court judgment has raised the possibility that drivers could have their payments returned and their convictions overturned.
In a recent speeding case, the court was shown a document marked ‘TfL RESTRICTED’ which indicated that Gary Oliver, an area manager in asset operation, did not have authority to approve the change. Earlier information released under a Freedom of Information request in 2024 had suggested that he did.
TfL’s Gerard O’Toole had previously confirmed in court that the restriction was signed off by Mr Oliver.
The Mayor has also been accused of vetoing a request for an independent investigation into the A20 fines when the issue was raised at the London Assembly last year. He is further alleged to have declined to address the matter in a letter from Conservative MPs Laura Trott, Louie French and Gareth Bacon.
Thomas Turrell, the London Assembly Conservatives’ transport spokesman, described the penalties as “an almighty motoring miscarriage of justice”.
“Thousands of motorists have been sacrificed on the altar of the mayor’s inability to admit that a mistake has been made,” he said.
A spokesman for the Mayor of London rejected the allegations, saying: “It is incorrect to suggest that the mayor or TfL misled anybody in relation to these fines, and TfL remain confident that enforcement of the speed limit here was necessary given the safety risks.”
“No wrongdoing was alleged by the court, Traffic Regulation Orders were made lawfully, and all TfL staff acted in accordance with authorisation,” the spokesman added.
TfL also denied misleading the courts or withholding information, saying any suggestion of wrongdoing was false. It said the Crown Court ruling did not set a binding precedent in other cases and that it would support the Metropolitan Police in resisting upcoming appeals.
The transport body said the temporary 40mph restriction was introduced in response to serious incidents linked to flooding on the A20 Sidcup Road, which it said posed a risk to life. The limit was removed after the road had been repaired and resurfaced.
