Motorists in the UK paid out an eye-watering £59.6million in bus lane fines in one year, according to research published today.
Figures for 2019 show that two million Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued to drivers caught on 800 cameras driving in bus lanes across the country.
The data revealed that the local authority in Manchester issued the highest number of PCNs with 242,924 in total, generating over £4.8million in revenue for the council.
Collectively, councils in London issued just over 300,000 bus lane fines, pocketing almost £15million in the one year.
Drivers paid out an eye-watering £59.6million in bus lane fines in 2019, according to research published today
Glasgow was second in the list of locations handing out the most penalties, issuing 115,534 fines and collecting £3.4million ahead of Birmingham, with 108,841 bus lane-related PCNs.
Despite drivers being issued the third highest volume of bus lane fines in the Steel City, Lambeth Council generated higher revenue from the PCNs it issued, collecting close to £3million in 2019.
With the data split by region, London authorities unsurprisingly pocketed the highest revenues from motorists incorrectly using bus lanes, making £14.7million from 301,651 PCNs.
The North West was second with £9.1million from 390,831 fines, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber with £6.2million from 191,999 PCNs.
The new findings have been released today by comparison site Confused.com after it issued a freedom of information (FOI) request for data from councils.
It also found in a poll of drivers that nearly one in three (28 per cent) have received a fine for driving in a bus lane in the past, with a third being issued more than one since they’ve had their licence.
A survey of 2,000 motorists found that nearly two in five (36 per cent) have appealed bus lane fines, with three quarters of these (74 per cent) claiming they successfully challenged the penalty and either avoided charges or were hit with reduced fees.
Confused.com said the high volume of successful appeals suggest that not all fines may be issued fairly in the first place.
Two in five (41 per cent) said that they didn’t have to pay anything as a result of the appeal, and one in three (33%) paid a reduced price, saving £68, on average.
‘Unclear signage’ was the most common reason why motorists appealed fines given to them for driving in bus lanes at operating times
The most common reason for challenging a bus lane-related PCN was due to ‘unclear signage’, which was the reason for 38 per cent of all appeals.
Unclear road markings (21 per cent) were next on the list of reasons motorists said they inadvertently entered bus lanes.
Almost a fifth (18 per cent) of drivers poll claimed they felt that the fine was issued to raise money rather than for legitimate reasons.
Motorists also raised their issue with the appeals process itself, with a third saying it was unnecessarily time consuming and more than one in ten (12 per cent) found it confusing.
One in five drivers polled even admitted to not appealing a fine at all because they found the procedure too stressful.
Commenting on the findings of the investigation, Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, said: ‘Nearly £60m issued in bus lane fines in 2019 is testament to the fact that bus lanes may be one of the most confusing challenges motorists face on UK roads.
‘Clearly drivers want change to avoid receiving a fine for a genuine mistake. It’s only right that some of the money from PCNs is invested back into solutions, such as clearer signage and exemptions for first-time offenders.’
SAVE MONEY ON MOTORING
