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Offline Web Admin

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Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« on: 08 August, 2014, 03:15:05 PM »
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.





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.



'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.



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.



'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

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #1 on: 09 August, 2014, 10:40:50 AM »
Looks like we have another Hemel Hempstead situation here.

What to do though?  <baldeagleplotting>
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Offline Boyo

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #2 on: 11 August, 2014, 10:04:19 AM »
I don't know Glasgow very well - I think I've only been there once on a flying visit for work. It would be nice to take a closer look.
(Does that sign outside the pub, where the yellow lorry's unloading, really say "all pints £2"?? - not that this is in any way a contributory factor for me wanting to visit Glasgow)
Maybe a long range sortie could be in the offing?
"To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay right or justice" - from the Magna Carta

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #3 on: 11 August, 2014, 11:26:21 AM »
Maybe a long range sortie could be in the offing?

I was thinking the same thing Boyo.  <baldeagleplotting>
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Offline Ewan Hoosami

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #4 on: 11 August, 2014, 01:10:19 PM »
"All pints £2" You won't even have to ask Killswitch.  :rotfl:

Appealing to the council is like playing chess with a pigeon. You might be a chess grand master but the pigeon will always knock all the pieces over, shit on the board and then strut around triumphantly.

Offline Kill Switch

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #5 on: 12 August, 2014, 07:33:41 PM »
Funily enough, I'm replying to this posht using my iFhone wilst nekin mi 12th 2 kwid pint in that very pub. hic
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice


Offline Ewan Hoosami

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #6 on: 12 August, 2014, 07:42:51 PM »
After another 12 pints, you should have the necessary brain power to cobble together a BPA Ltd press release.

http://www.britishparking.co.uk/Blog/monday-musing-a-parking-appeal-to-every-motorist-pay-where-you-should-and-dont-park-where-you-shouldnt/651

 <dancingbanana>
Appealing to the council is like playing chess with a pigeon. You might be a chess grand master but the pigeon will always knock all the pieces over, shit on the board and then strut around triumphantly.

Offline DastardlyDick

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #7 on: 12 August, 2014, 08:27:55 PM »
Does the Traffic Management Act 2004 apply in Scotland?


Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #9 on: 13 August, 2014, 12:27:00 PM »
Does the Traffic Management Act 2004 apply in Scotland?


Here is the law concerning signs and lines in Scotland Dick.

"The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (commonly abbreviated to TSRGD) is the law that sets out the design and conditions of use of official traffic signs that can be lawfully placed on or near roads in England, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_Signs_Regulations_and_General_Directions
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Offline DastardlyDick

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #10 on: 13 August, 2014, 05:42:30 PM »
Fair Enough

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #11 on: 24 August, 2014, 11:41:53 AM »
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
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Offline BGB

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #12 on: 02 September, 2014, 01:47:55 PM »
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-29029946

Bus gate fines in Glasgow top £800,000 in two months

A controversial new restriction on cars in Glasgow has earned the city council at least £800,000 in just two months.

Since the end of June cars have been banned from going through Nelson Mandela Place, near Queen Street Station, for much of the day.

Drivers who break the restriction are given a minimum £30 penalty charge - rising to £60 if unpaid within 14 days.

By 1 September, at least 28,000 drivers had gone through the bus gate. So far, £477,000 in fines has been paid.

The Nelson Mandela Place bus gate has earned Glasgow City Council roughly the same amount in two months as Edinburgh and Aberdeen Councils receive from all bus lane transgressions in a year.

Traffic flow
 
Glasgow City Council strongly denies that it sees the bus gate as a source of income and stresses that the gate was put in place after consultation in order to improve the environment and the flow of traffic.

It accepts that the number of transgressions is unusually high and plans to look at improving the signage in the area to help ensure drivers get the message.

One advantage of the bus gate is that it can improve journey times for buses and taxis. Another is that it could reduce the number of cars in George Square and improve the local environment.

Last year Edinburgh City Council received £718,000 from bus lane fines while Aberdeen City Council received £896,000.

Glasgow - Scotland's largest city - received a total of £3,283,776.

Although council budgets are under severe pressure, these amounts are a small proportion of each council's income.

The majority of Scottish councils do not have bus lanes or do not receive any income from transgressions as they are not responsible for enforcement.

The Glasgow Restaurant Association wants the city council to reconsider the Nelson Mandela Place restriction as it fears it is doing more harm than good.

The council says the bus gate will remain but hopes to reduce the number of cars going through it.

Offline BGB

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #13 on: 05 September, 2014, 05:09:49 PM »
http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-view/evidence-is-needed-on-impact-of-new-bus-gate.25168692

Evidence is needed on impact of new bus gate


Whether for parking offences, speeding, or ignoring bus lanes, no motorist likes being fined.
 
But others are also objecting. Glasgow Chamber of Commerce is asking business leaders in the city centre, particularly Glasgow's Merchant City, for their experience of the new system.

The George Square bus gate is designed to encourage use of the area by pedestrians and cyclists, and those using public transport. But some businesses already feel they are being affected by drivers choosing not to dine or shop in the city centre, but in out-of-town shopping malls where access is easier and parking is free.
 
Such arguments are not new. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen all have camera-enforced bus lanes, although Glasgow currently has as many as the two other cities combined.

They are usually justified on the basis that cutting car traffic makes city centres safer and more attractive for pedestrians, and frees up public transport, making it more efficient and popular.

The George Square bus gate has led to £1,671,060 in fines being issued, making it more lucrative than all of Glasgow's other 15 bus lane cameras. Critics say bus lanes and gates are driven by such revenue.

While the number of fines issued is generally on a downward trend in all three cities, cynics suggest local authorities regularly bring in new locations just to keep fine income high.
 
Fines are indeed a source of income for councils, although there is a considerable cost to install cameras and run them. However, the justifications for using them do make sense, as long as there are viable public transport options available.

In Glasgow the quality of the bus fleet has improved, but fares remain high and in the deregulated marketplace, options for travellers remain confusing. However, pedestrian use of George Square was high during the Commonwealth Games in particular.
 
It could well be that the bus gate has delivered a net increase of people into this area of the city, while cutting congestion.
 
Perhaps visitors coming by bike, foot or public transport have more than offset any loss of traffic from deterred car-users.
 
We could do with proper evidence from both proponents and opponents of bus lanes. We need to know whether congestion has gone down and use of public transport genuinely been encouraged.
 
In Glasgow, the council says a fall in the number of fines since the controversial lane was introduced shows that it is working, and drivers have identified other routes they can use. If business leaders feel trade truly has been affected, then they need to prove it.

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Glasgow - bus lane camera issuing £42k of tickets PER DAY
« Reply #14 on: 25 March, 2015, 04:39:43 PM »
Update:

Here are the latest figures for the number of tickets issued per month in the West George St/Nelson Mandela Place bus lane.

July 2014 -                      16,284 = £977,040 (@60 quid a pop)

August 2014 -                  14,573 = £874,380

September 2014 -            5,239 = £314,340

October 2014 -                 5,198 = £311,880

November 2014 -             4,234 = £254,040

December 2014 -             4,186 = £251,160

TOTAL FOR 6 MONTHS              = £2,982,840


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Now compare that to the next highest earning bus lane located in Victoria Road/St Andrews Cross which looks like a nice little honey trap too. Victoria Road is very long so to find the camera on Googlemaps search for Butterbiggins Road and turn right out of it onto Victoria Road. The camera is situated outside the Shell garage about 100 yards along.

July 2014 -                      884 = £53,040 (@60 quid a pop)

August 2014 -                  887 = £53,220

September 2014 -            816 = £48,960

October 2014 -                 853 = £51,180

November 2014 -             692 = £41,520

December 2014 -             753 = £45,180

TOTAL FOR 6 MONTHS              = £293,100

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