Motorists hit with record fines of more than £90million last year after being caught on camera driving in bus lanes

MOTORISTS were hit with record fines last year of more than £90million after being caught on camera driving in bus lanes.

Shock figures show the income from bus lane fines has surged from £39million in 2017/18 to last year’s figure of £92.5million.

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Drivers were hit with record fines last year of more than £90million after being caught on camera driving in bus lanes[/caption]

And when local authorities took their costs out for running the enforcement schemes it means they were left with a bumper £59.2million surplus last year – or more than £1million every week.

Drivers in London can pay up to £160 if they stray into a bus lane, dropping to £80 if they pay up within two weeks.

Elsewhere penalties can range between £60 and £90.

Motoring organisation The AA has called bus lane enforcement “ruthless” – and even complained its own patrol vehicles have been fined for straying into bus lanes to rescue stranded vehicles, or even to let emergency vehicles past.

The figures – obtained from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – show the most income was generated by bus lane cameras operated by the Greater London Authority.

Other councils that pulled in substantial sums from their bus lane cameras were Bradford (£1.6m), Leeds (£1.1m), Leicester (£1m) and Sheffield (£1m).

‘SOMETHING IS AWRY’

As with parking fines and charges, councils have to reinvest the extra cash they make from buslane fines – so they say they make a ‘surplus’ rather than a profit from the running of the cameras.

In September a new bus lane that was put in place in the centre of Birmingham snared dozens of motorists and was believed to be clocking up fines at the rate of £10,000-per-hour during the afternoon rush hour.

The council tweeted out a warning to motorists about the new bus lane in Sheepcote Street with the slogan ‘Cross the line, pay the fine’.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “These statistics reveal that the sheer volume of penalty charges being issued suggests something is awry.

“It is essential that local authorities make sure bus lane signage and road layout is as clear as possible.

“The reality is that most drivers do not deliberately drive in bus lanes, and there have been examples across the country where certain cameras are catching drivers at alarming rates, raking in sometimes thousands of pounds a day.

“This should be a clear red flag to local authorities that something is amiss and they should be investigating why so many drivers are being caught out and rectify it as soon as possible.

“Drivers may also stray into a bus lane to allow emergency vehicles through, particularly in city centres where road space and congestion can make it difficult for such vehicles to get past. In these instances, councils should clearly be overturning any penalty.

“We’d welcome a review by the Department for Transport into signage for bus lanes, and would also encourage local authorities to use technology to make it clearer for drivers.”

A spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “Bus lane enforcement boosts punctuality, thereby helping to make public transport a more attractive mode of travel, keeping the rest of the road flowing more freely for those who have to use cars.

“Buses link workers to jobs, shoppers to shops and pupils to schools and colleges. Councils make no apologies for enforcing the law to ensure the smooth running of bus services.

“If any motorist believes they have been fined unfairly, then they have the right to appeal against it. The fact that over 99 per cent of bus lanes fines are not appealed clearly shows that the overwhelming majority of people who are ticketed accept that they have broken the rules.”

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