Bus lane fines make council £50,000

THOUSANDS of drivers continue to be slapped with fines for using a Solihull bus lane.

In a six-month period, 2,944 penalties were issued to vehicles which had ventured into the specially designated route along Lode Lane. Road chiefs have said a total of £48,569 was raised through these fines dealt out between April and September last year.

In 2017/18, a total of £81,569 flowed into Solihull Council coffers and the local authority indicated a similar sum could have been col- lected by the time the current financial year comes to a close.

Revenue from the fines is moved into a specific reserve to cover the annual maintenance and operating costs of the system, which is enforced using CCTV cameras.

A report presented to Cllr Ted Richards, cabinet member for transport and highways, provided an update on the scheme which began in September 2017.

It said: “Overall the service is continuing to be a success in meeting its traffic management objec- tives and is also promoting and prioritising public transport along the Lode Lane corridor, which will shortly become one of the region’s first Sprint bus routes.”

Trevor Eames, from Solihull Ratepayers’ Association, said he thought bus lane restrictions needed to be “standardised”, with the difference between schemes continuing to confuse motorists.

“You’ve got so much variation in how they operate and who can drive in them in different areas,” he said.