Bus lane cameras switch on from today in Newcastle.
Motorists have been warned that they are finally set to be hit with penalties for driving in the bus lane outside Newcastle’s Central Station.
Enforcement will begin this week on the bus lanes in Neville Street and at the junction of Westgate Road and Neville Street.
The cameras were installed back in 2016 but have yet to issue a single fine, with council bosses having held back while they waited for a verdict in the infamous and long-running saga over the adequacy of bus lane warning signs on John Dobson Street.
But action will finally commence today (Monday, October 17) though drivers are being given a reprieve in the opening months of the enforcement period.
During the cameras’ first five months of operation, people who breach the bus lane restrictions will only be issued with a warning letter for their first offence.
Repeat offenders will then be hit with penalty charge notices for £70, discounted to £35 if paid within three weeks. Once the five month grace period ends next March, fines will be issued for every contravention of the bus lane rules.
The city council said the new enforcement measures were needed to “ensure the smooth and efficient running of the bus network on one of the busiest routes for buses in the city” and that all income from penalties would be put back into public transport improvements.
Coun Jane Byrne, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “We are taking this action to ensure that Newcastle is a clean, green and connected city that’s easy to move around, and having an efficient public transport service is a key part of this.
“We have given plenty of notice that we will start enforcement on one of the key routes for buses into the city centre. These bus lanes have been in place for a number of years, and we’ve given motorists a six-week warning period before starting enforcement, to ensure they are fully aware and to help plan their journeys.”
The Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) ruled in 2020 that Newcastle City Council was guilty of “fundamental negligence” by failing to properly inform drivers of the John Dobson Street bus lane, prompting the local authority to offer to refund £2.5m worth of tickets.
More than 90,000 fines were issued for driving in the notorious bus lane during the camera’s first stint between February 2016 and June 2017, when it became the most lucrative camera in England.
Enforcement started on the northbound lane there again in 2021, after city transport officials installed new signs and road markings to make the bus gate more obvious.