Preston bus lane rakes in nearly £1m of fines in a year

Data revealed this week shows that Lancashire County Council (LCC) took in £948,998 from drivers wrongly using the bus lane between the top of Butler Street and Corporation Street during 2019 - the latest figures for ‘normal’ travel without Covid travel restrictions.

In 2020, the total fines for that lane was £267,242.

There has been a ‘no right turn’ restriction at the top of Butler Street since 2016, with traffic instead meant to turn left down Fishergate Hill. This is meant to help with the free of traffic.

But it has long been reported that drivers are choosing to ignore signage, or are finding the rules confusing. In 2017, almost 2,000 fines were issued in one week - totaling almost £60,000.

Peter Bell, regulation and enforcement manager for Lancashire County Council said: "We have always said we would be happy if we didn't make a penny from enforcing the bus lanes as it would mean people are doing the right thing.

"The reason for the bus lanes in Preston city centre is to improve bus travel while also providing a shorter route for emergency services. The changes to traffic including the introduction of the bus lanes have greatly reduced the number of vehicles travelling through the city centre, making it a safer and more pedestrian friendly environment.

"The bus lane is clearly signed and marked. We would rather that nobody used it as a short cut, however the enforcement camera is there to provide a deterrent."