Express & Star

West Bromwich bus lane makes £2 million in two years

A notorious bus lane has cost drivers nearly £2 million in fines since enforcement cameras were switched on just under two years ago.

Published
Drivers face £90 fines for using the bus lane in New Street, West Bromwich

Motorists are continuing to be caught in New Street, West Bromwich, where an average of £80,000 per month was made in fines from drivers using the bus lane between November 2016 to September 2018.

A total of 63,795 fines have been issued since November 2016 – 2,773 every month on average – of drivers continuing to ignore warnings to not use the bus zone.

The total of fines handed out to drivers flouting the rules is now up to £1,843,872.

In the four months between May and September of this year, 6,224 tickets have been issued resulting in a total of £170,850 in fines.

However it is far less than the fines dished out in its first six months in operation – which saw 48,755 motorists fined, bringing in a huge £944,832 into Sandwell Council.

Council chiefs decided to act after tens of thousands of drivers routinely ignored restrictions by driving through the bus zone, which was said to be holding up buses in the town centre.

But highways boss Councillor David Hosell said the number of drivers driving illegally through the area has dropped by more than half, since the cameras were switched on.

He said the cameras were also to keep pedestrians in the area safe.

Drivers who cut through the bus lane, outside New Square shopping centre and Sandwell College’s Sixth Form Centre, face fines of up to £90.

Councillor Hosell said: “We have seen the number of vehicles driving illegally through the bus gate in West Bromwich town centre fall by more than half since it came into force.

“We are on track to have reduced the amount of traffic coming through this area by nearly 98 per cent since the bus gate was installed.

“Our main priority is for people to simply stop driving through it – not to collect money from penalty notices.

“The bus gate is there to prevent congestion at the bus station and keep pedestrians including students at the college safe as they walk through this area.”

He added: “The bus gate has been incredibly effective in improving road safety and preventing queues at the bus station, which were resulting in services being considerably delayed.

“The enforcement income is used to help fund the cost of providing parking and traffic regulation services, to contribute to maintaining off street parking, schemes that promote public transport, road improvement projects and congestion reduction projects.”