Almost one in every four cars registered in London received a speeding fine for breaking the 20mph limits across the capital in the past six years.
Roughly 595,000 tickets were issued to drivers by the Metropolitan Police since 2018, equivalent to 85 per cent of the 700,000 fines handed out across the country during the period.
According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, fines for drivers breaching the 20mph speed limits were up 700 per cent since 2018.
In 2023, the request revealed that drivers in the 20mph and 30mph zones were fined eight times more than those driving above 60mph, The Times reported.
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Speed limits were introduced across 28km of roads in London last year
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The fines follow the Mayor of London’s 20mph speed limit zones which were further rolled out to popular London boroughs last year.
The speed limits were introduced across 28km of roads within the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Hackney, Haringey and Tower Hamlets from March 31 last year.
Will Norman, London's walking and cycling commissioner, said at the time: "TfL data shows that 20mph speed limits are reducing the number of collisions on London's roads, highlighting how important the continued expansion of the 20mph programme is.”
20mph speed limits were also introduced on sections of the A503, A501, A41, A1, A10, A11 and A1203 to help make London safer and to encourage more people to walk, cycle and use public transport.
The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and three penalty points added to a driving licence, but in some cases, there is the option to attend a speed awareness course.
Norman added: “Lowering speeds is one of the most important things we can do to reduce road danger and we'll continue to work with TfL, the Met Police and London's boroughs to make it easier and safer for people to walk, cycle and use public transport, creating a safer, greener London for everyone."
In January, satnav company TomTom stated that the speed limits made London the slowest city in the world for drivers with average car journeys for a typical 10km journey last year taking 37 minutes and 20 seconds.
The time frame is one minute more than in 2022 and nearly two minutes more than in 2021, which TomTom indicated as a slow but steady return to the pre-pandemic levels.
Data collected between May 1, 2020, to June 30, 2022, before the lower speed limits were implemented, showed the number of collisions fell 25 per cent in the capital.
Meanwhile, collisions resulting in death or serious injury fell 24 per cent.
The Metropolitan Police told The Standard: “The evidence tells us that speeding is a factor in a significant number of collisions in London, particularly those that result in death or serious injury.
"The Met, working with partners, will continue to undertake both prevention activity to keep road users safe and enforcement action against drivers who fail to comply with the speed limit."
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The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine
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Wales was the latest nation to implement 20mph speed limits with data gathered by the Transport for Wales showing the average speeds on main roads dropped an average of four miles per hour from 28.9mph to 24.8mph.
