Stoney Road bus lane camera nets city council £436k

[dutchman]

A single camera near Coventry train station has caught out 14,559 drivers for encroaching on a bus lane in 14 months.



The camera, in Stoney Road, has netted the council a minimum of £436,770 in penalty fines from drivers between June 2012 and August 2013, a Telegraph Freedom of Information request has discovered.

Motorists who are captured using the bus lane are slapped with a £30 fine – which doubles if they do not pay up within a fortnight.

The controversial camera was installed last summer, and prompted fury when it caught 1,500 drivers in its first week alone – because it was placed behind a tree, effectively hiding it from view.

Coventry City Council installed the camera to prevent motorists using the road as a rat-run, after concerns were raised by nearby residents.

Roger Lawson, a spokesman for The Alliance of British Drivers, said: “We generally oppose bus lanes.

“We think everybody should follow the example set by Liverpool City Council. They have removed bus lanes because they actually contribute to congestion.

“With cameras, people do not know they have been fined until later, when they’re not able to dispute it because they haven’t got evidence.

“Why should bus passengers get priority? It’s just queue jumping.

“I am aware of bus lanes being used to generate enormous sums by councils – they’re just a means of making money.”

But a spokesman for Coventry council said: “The main objective of CCTV bus lane enforcement cameras is to detect and discourage the misuse of bus lanes.

“As a council we try to encourage people to use public transport wherever possible and keeping bus lanes clear of any unauthorised vehicles improves bus journey times and improves the reliability of buses in congested areas.

“The vast majority of drivers do not misuse bus lanes and so they will never receive a penalty charge notice.”

[dutchman]

Poor Coventry bus lane signs could lead to fine refunds



Drivers caught using Coventry’s most controversial bus lane found a loophole which allowed them to successfully appeal against their fines.

The Telegraph revealed last month that a camera positioned in Stoney Road near the city’s train station had caught nearly 15,000 drivers using the buses-only stretch of the road.

That had netted the council £436,000 in 14 months from fines.

But new judgments by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal have ruled in favour of motorists.

At least two drivers got their fines paid back after claiming that the signs around the bus lane did not fully comply with the advice in an official document.

A handbook called Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 states that a ‘No Right Hand Turn’ image should be used at the junction before cars can turn into a bus lane.

But instead, a black on yellow sign which reads, “Buses and Cycles Only” is used at the intersection of Manor
Road and Stoney Road.

Tony Wicksteed, who won back a £60 fine incurred by his brother who was visiting him from South Africa, said: “I have read a lot of articles about this bus lane, but nowhere does it mention the fact that the signs aren’t right.

“Things like this just annoy me. The council have made so much money from that camera that it’s no wonder they don’t want to change the signs.

“But the fact that I got my money back, and that I know of at least two other people who have, means that anybody quoting the 2002 booklet should get their money back, too.

“If you didn’t speak English, how would you be able to understand the yellow sign?”

A spokesman for Coventry City Council said: “The signs installed to make people aware of the bus lane on Stoney Road comply with legal requirements.

“There is a regulatory sign, which is lit, giving people advance notice of the restrictions ahead. “The yellow and black sign highlighted is an additional advisory notice which gives an extra warning to motorists.”

In a decision to return one driver’s money, a TPT adjudicator said: “The onus is on the council to prove on the balance of probabilities that the contravention occurred. A contravention cannot occur unless the restriction is adequately signed.

“For this reason, I find that the contravention has not been proved and I allow the appeal.

“The driver does not have to pay the charge.”