Hundreds fined after Newcastle bus lane cameras reactivated
The John Dobson Street camera has been active again since November
Hundreds of drivers were fined for driving in an infamous Newcastle bus lane in the first month after penalties were reinstated following a long-running saga – but far fewer are being caught out than before.
Newcastle City Council has started issuing fines once again to motorists seen using the northbound bus lane on John Dobson Street, in the city centre.
The route’s bus lane camera, once named as the most lucrative in England, was suspended in 2017 after complaints that signage to warn drivers of the restrictions was inadequate, which ultimately led to the local authority being found guilty of “fundamental negligence” by a tribunal and offering to pay back up to £2.5m worth of fines.
But the camera was brought back into action on November 1 this year, after city transport officials installed new signs and road markings to make the bus gate more obvious.
The council has confirmed that 600 motorists were issued penalty charge notices (PCNs) from the camera in the month of November.
However, that figure is a massive 90% lower than when the camera was in use in November 2016.
There were 5,990 fines issued in that month, while its most prolific time was in March 2016 when a whopping 13,592 people were caught.
In total, 91,806 motorists were hit with fines of up to £90 for driving in the bus lane during the camera’s notorious first stint between February 2016 and June 2017, before the charges were put on hold.
A council spokesperson said that civic centre data also showed a “significant decrease in people flouting the restrictions” even compared to when the camera was not operational.
They said: “Since the re-introduction of enforcement on the northbound bus lane, we are pleased that there has been a significant decrease in people flouting the restrictions on this key route for public transport.
“If we compare the figures to the same month in 2019 it’s clear there has been a sharp drop, from 2,307 warning letters in November 2019 compared to 600 PCNs issued in November 2021.
“Bus lanes play a key part in helping us managing the network efficiently, ensuring buses are reliable and run to schedule, which is important as we encourage people out of their cars, to clean up our air and create a greener city.”
Following a long-awaited Traffic Penalty Tribunal verdict last year which concluded that the council was at fault, city transport chiefs offered to refund up to £2.5m worth of fines – of which only around £300,000 has been claimed back so far.
The ruling stated that the original road signs informing drivers about the bus lane were “misleading and wrong” and accused the council of “neglect”.
But while it did offer refunds, the local authority has consistently refused to accept wrongdoing and complained that there were “gaping holes” in the judgement.