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Councils Issue up to £8 Million in Bus Lane Fines
11 September 2020
Penalty charge notices (PCNs) cover a broad range of road traffic offences, such as not paying a congestion charge, going against a ‘no left turn’ sign, or driving in a bus lane.
Comparethemarket conducted research that showed councils received up to £8 million in bus lane fines alone last year, with Manchester City issuing the most fines (totalling £8,389,610 from 388,213 fines) outside of London.
This research comes from a Freedom of Information request to 50 of the UK’s councils, representing the most populated towns and cities, as well as the boroughs of London. The request covered the number and price of bus penalties issued during the financial year from 2018 to 2019.
Glasgow and Coventry reaped figures in the high £2 million, whilst Reading and Nottingham were in the low £2 million. Cambridge received the lowest amount in fines, at £1,821,213 from 74,224 fines. Interestingly, this amount is lower than Bristol’s £1,822,046 from 64,035 fines.
London, of course, generated the highest amount from bus lane fines with a combined total of £13,725,577 from just ten of its boroughs.
Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance at comparethemarket.com, said, “Being caught out from driving in bus lanes can happen to the best of us, especially if you are driving in an unfamiliar part of a city or town.
“However, with cameras monitoring the roads more and more, it is essential to take extra precautions.
“As the Government lockdown continues to ease and drivers continue to increase their mileage, we urge motorists to refresh themselves of the rules of the roads to avoid any unwanted fines”.
Hutson finished, “If you have received a fine and you believe it is in error, it is possible to contest a penalty charge notice (PCN). However, keep in mind that if you don’t pay the fine within 14 days, the rate usually doubles.”
All of us at Marshall Leasing take road safety and regulations very seriously. For more information about how we assist fleet professionals, please contact us on 01480 414541.
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