It was designed to stop lorries using Woodmere Avenue as a rat run between the A41 and Bushey Mill Lane. The initial plan was to install automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras that could do the same job via a vehicle weight restriction, then remove the bollards. The existing width restriction design, before the cameras were introducedThis was presented as a temporary measure to tide over until the cameras could be installed and brought online, which finally happened in June 2025. The old width restriction design (Image: UGC)However, a Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson has confirmed the scheme is now seen as “complete” and the width restriction is not going anywhere. Woodmere Avenue ANPR camera catches 90 motorists in 5 daysANPR camera put in at Watford's infamous width restrictionWatford width restriction goes viral - and becomes daily source for memes“The ANPR is in place to prioritise public transport, while the surrounding physical restriction helps prevent commercial vehicles from using Woodmere Avenue as a shortcut between the A41, the M1 and nearby trading estates.”Drivers dodging the restriction were only given warnings between the cameras’ introduction and December 16, 2025.