Council criticised after new bus lane camera catches 700 drivers A DAY netting it £600,000 in just two weeks
10,000 drivers were fined for using Nelson Mandela Place in Glasgow
Motorists claim that the warnings are hidden by other cars and confusing
Architect John Taylor, who was fined £60, claims the signs are 'woeful'
But council bosses have insisted the signs and camera are adequate
By Wills Robinson
Published: 12:27, 7 August 2014 | Updated: 15:42, 7 August 2014
A council has been criticised after a new bus lane camera was revealed to have raked in more than £600,000 of fines in just two weeks - snaring more than 10,000 motorists.
More than 700 people were handed penalties for using Nelson Mandela Place, in Glasgow City Centre, in the two weeks after the CCTV camera was set up.
But drivers believe the warning signs are 'woeful' and have complained that they are constantly blocked by other vehicles.
Council bosses have defended the system, insisting that the camera and the accompanying signs are adequate.
(http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4332.0;attach=4746)
(http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4332.0;attach=4752)
Furious architect John Taylor was given a fine after he was caught going through the bus gate.
After submitting a Freedom of Information request to Glasgow City Council, he discovered that he was not alone.
He said: 'The signposting for the bus gate is woefully inadequate. I have no problems with bus lanes and improving traffic flows but the problem here is the bus gate is so badly signposted.
'The sign in West George Street can often by obscured by traffic or a parked van, so motorists have no way of knowing they are about to break the rules.
(http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4332.0;attach=4758)
'If the council really wanted to curb private cars going into George Square they would signpost it fully.'
Mr Taylor lodged a freedom of information request with the city council asking how many cars contravened the bus gate from the day it went into operation on Monday June 30 until Wednesday July 16.
On one of the days the camera was not in operation but, on the remaining 15 days, it caught a total of 10,096 motorists.
The lowest number of breaches was on the first day of the new scheme, when 477 were nabbed, and the highest on Friday, July 4, when 802 went through the bus gate.
(http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4332.0;attach=4764)
Each motorist will be hit with a £60 fine, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said the city council had failed to get information about the bus gate over to drivers.
He added: 'Clearly there is a complete failure of signpost information when so many people are getting caught.'
A city council spokesman insisted the new traffic restriction is well signposted.
He said: 'The majority of drivers don’t receive fines as they don’t choose to drive through a well publicised and very visible bus gate.
(http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4332.0;attach=4770)
'The number of offences has dropped by 65.7 per cent since the bus lane enforcement began and we expect further reductions.
'Seven permanent signs advising the bus gate is operational have been in place since the beginning of June and are clearly visible on Hope Street, West George Street, West Nile Street and at Nelson Mandela Place.
'In addition, there were two temporary signs on Bothwell Street and West George Street in the run up to the bus gate coming into play.'
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COUNCILS WHO HAVE SNARED MOTORISTS WITH SPY CAMERAS AND CONFUSING SIGNS
Drivers are milked of more than £135million a year by spy cameras in bus lanes and box junctions, figures have revealed.
A record 1.32million fines were issued for minor offences in 2011/12, 16 per cent up on the year before.
Local authorities are using an increasing amount of technology to snare motorists - and are collecting a huge number of penalties in the process.
Last month it was revealed that Kingston Council raked in nearly £1million in bus lane and box junction fines – in just three months.
They collared an average of 72 motorists a day for bus lane infringements over 12 weeks in spring.
However more than £1.8m was paid back to motorists after they were fined for driving over a bridge in York city centre.
Almost 60,000 motorists were issued with penalty notices for using the Lendal Bridge after controversial traffic restrictions were introduced.
Essex County Council was also forced to hand back more than £1m to motorists fined for illegally using its new bus lanes - because the signposts were not adequately marked.
In terms of parking fines, CCTV cameras mounted on cars - that have generated around £300million in the last five years will be made illegal.
Some 75 councils currently have permission to use ‘approved devices’ rather than traffic wardens to enforce parking restrictions, under Labour’s 2004 Traffic Management Act. In these areas, a third of all parking fines are now thought to be issued via CCTV rather than parking wardens.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2718809/Council-criticised-new-CCTV-camera-catches-700-drivers-day-bus-lanes-netting-600-000-fines-just-two-weeks.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2718809/Council-criticised-new-CCTV-camera-catches-700-drivers-day-bus-lanes-netting-600-000-fines-just-two-weeks.html)
Does the Traffic Management Act 2004 apply in Scotland?
It appears Dick has asked a very pertinent question.
Just came across this article which seems to suggest that Scotland are not subject to the same laws as England and Wales regarding where income from parking is spent. It may therefore follow that the TMA 2004 doesn't apply in Scotland, albeit that the TSRGD does. There is some research to be done here and any help in this area would be welcome, particularly with regard to the laws governing the issue of bus lane tickets.
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Aberdeen City Council rakes in £5 million in car parking fees in five years
ABERDEEN City Council has made more than £5.8 million from parking charges over the past five years, the Evening Express can today reveal.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show the local authority has collected £5,852,064.78 in charges from on-street parking since 2010.
They also show £80,975.30 had been collected in the first half of 2014.
For each of the four previous years the council made more than £1m, with the highest figure recorded in 2011 at £1,596,850.62.
The profits from parking charges is spent on council services as a whole – not just on roads.
http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/local/aberdeen-city-council-rakes-in-5-million-in-car-parking-fees-in-five-years-1.538334 (http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/local/aberdeen-city-council-rakes-in-5-million-in-car-parking-fees-in-five-years-1.538334)