23,500 bus lane fines overturned

THOUSANDS IN LINE FOR A REFUND AFTER COUNCIL GAFFE... BUT TOWN HALL SAY IT’S DOWN TO MOTORISTS TO CLAIM BACK THE MONEY

THOUSANDS of motorists caught driving in bus lanes across Manchester could have their fines refunded after the council admitted more than 20,000 tickets were sent out too late.

Legislation states Penalty Charge Notices must arrive in the post within 28 days of a vehicle being recorded in a bus lane, but Manchester council missed the deadline in 23,500 cases because of a computer system error.

The notices affected involve some bus lane contraventions which took place between October 2, 2017 and December 16, 2017, and the M.E.N. understands a significant proportion of them would equate to the Oxford Road corridor. The legal timescale for tickets can be extended to six months in cases where the council is forced to check details with the DVLA. Some of the tickets will have been eligible for this extension and some would already have been paid – so council bosses say they do not yet know how many of them are ‘out of time.’ The council said the real figure would be ‘considerably lower’ than 23,500, but establishing a true figure would not be possible without going through each case individually. The town hall has publicly announced the error following an ‘internal review’ of systems used for processing the penalties. Motorists who believe they have been affected can now apply to have their cases reviewed. A deadline for applications has been set for May 9.

A spokesman said the situation was ‘regrettable’ and committed to reviewing fines on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. Kim Dorrington, the council’s strategic director of highways, transport and engineering, said: “While this is clearly a regrettable situation, it should not detract from the fact that bus lanes are effective in significantly improving the journey times of people on buses – the most-used form of public transport in the city – as well as improving the experience of cyclists and pedestrians.”

Anyone who believes they received their fine too late should visit manchester.gov.uk/buslanereview