Bus lane cameras net £70,000 in one week
Fines are now in force for driving in Wolverhampton's bus lanes - and have raked in more than £70,000 in the first week.
A total of 1,174 motorists were snapped by new cameras in five lanes between Monday and Friday last week and received a £60 penalty, totting up a grand total of £70,440.
The penalties are reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
Although the cameras have been in operation since June 10, drivers were given a two-week grace period, which is now over.
Council spokesman Tim Clark said the reviewing of tickets was an ongoing process.
"The cameras will pick up any vehicle that goes into the bus lanes, that's why all the photographs get reviewed by an officer in the enforcement team," he said.
"It is an ongoing process of tickets being reviewed.
"It is markedly down on the week before. The council has put signage up and take advertising out and put warning notices up. It has clearly had an effect to raise awareness that this is happening and we would expect to see that these figures go down."
The new cameras are on Willenhall Road, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton Road, Wednesfield Road and Cleveland Street. More will be brought in on other city bus lanes in the coming months.
It is believed up to £250,000 could be raised from the penalties in the first year alone.
The cameras have been brought in after the council took control of the bus lanes from West Midlands Police.
The local authority said the bus lanes had been 'inconsistently' policed due to priorities lying elsewhere, leading to drivers blatantly disregarding the law.
The cameras are both inbound and outbound on Willenhall Road and heading out of the city on Stafford Road between Red Hill Street Clinic and Five Ways Island
On Wolverhampton Road, the cameras watch cars coming in and out of the city, as well as inbound on Wednesfield Road where it links with Wolverhampton Road.
