Outrage as council makes £ 7.5m from bus lane fines

A COUNCIL was blasted yesterday for fi ning drivers £ 7.5million for straying into bus lanes.

Lawyer Nick Freeman was “stunned” to discover the sum after making a Freedom of Information demand for the council to reveal its income from bus lane infringements for the past fi ve years.

He said he wanted to “confi rm his suspicions” and accused British councils of using bus lane cameras to get drivers to “fi ll the cash- strapped coffers”.

But Manchester City Council claims the sum helps to pay for services – including its free Metroshuttle city centre bus service. Motorists can be fi ned for driving in a bus lane during peak hours, with a £ 60 penalty reduced to £ 30 if paid within 14 days.

Mr Freeman said: “It’s an average of £ 30,000 a week, which is a massive amount of money.”

He also alleged many drivers were fi ned because bus lanes were not clearly marked. “People have to swerve at the last moment to change lanes,” he said.

Councillor Kate Chappell, of the Labour- run authority, said it did not use fi nes to supplement its budget, adding: “All money is reinvested into highways projects such as the Metroshuttle.” She insisted: “Bus lanes are an important part of getting people around the city when it is busy.

“The vast majority of people travel into the city centre in the morning peak period by public transport.”

She added that all bus lane signs complied with Department for Transport guidelines.

Mr Freeman was nicknamed “Mr Loophole” after successfully defending a string of celebrities in motoring cases including David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.