Drivers are being slapped with bus lane fines in huge numbers, according to new figures released by Swindon Borough Council responding to a freedom of information request.
In the twelve months from April 1st 2017 to March 31st 2018, 19,786 penalty charge notices (PCN) were issued for drivers contravening the road restrictions at the Penzance Drive bus gate which is one of the nineteen bus lanes and gates in town.
With a charge of £30 – or £60 if not paid within 14 days – the income from the bus lanes in the past year amounts to at least £593,580.
With the amount of publicity this route has had over the years and with the increased signage leading up to the bus lane itself it remains to be seen what else the council can do to stop drivers turning left from Rodbourne Road or right from Penzance Drive.
John King of Redcliffe Street commented ‘every day on my walk to and from town I see a couple of cars turn down there, if they just slowed down and read the road signs they would have more money to spend on their bargains they are in such a hurry to get.’
A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “More than a dozen signs are in place on the approach to this particular bus gate and there are highly visible road markings clearly highlighting the bus lane.
“The bus gate was installed to help public transport work efficiently in the area and is not there to deliberately trap motorists.
“All the warning signs exceed the appropriate regulations for visibility and frequency, but we do continue to monitor and review the signage as appropriate and in response to any complaints we receive. In fact the number of fines is decreasing at this particular location.
“Any drivers who wish to challenge why they were ticketed can use the well-established and independent appeals process. All the money received though bus gate fines is spent on highways and transport-related projects including public passenger transport services and Shopmobility.”
I too was caught and paid £30 for my trouble. I was as concerned by the fact that I hadn’t observed or acted upon the signage as I was with the fine.
20,000 per year netting £600,000 on the face of it seems to suggest that this is an abject failure as a means of creating a route solely for the use by public transport, but a pretty successful way of generating income for the council.
However, I came to reflect that at 50+ cars per day is a very small amount of congestion and to accept that the restriction likely prevents thousands of journeys along that route by locals. So perhaps it does also serve the purpose of creating a route for public transport to reach the A3102.
But as a visitor to the town, and specifically to the Shopping Outlet, traveling northbound on the B4289 Rodbourne Road, that car park is so close as you can nearly touch it is a lure that is almost irresistible.
As the number of first timers falls, the fines will slowly reduce, not due to the legally adequate signage, but simply because once bitten twice shy. Clearly, there is something amiss here for 20,000 each year to be unaware (or deliberately doing so, not expecting to be caught), but there is no reason for the Council to change their approach or signage. However grumpy it mad me.
The reason people miss the bus lane sign is because technology is telling you to turn left and the left turn that comes up is attatched to the car park making you believe that you will miss the turn off into the car park entrance which is not clear as to where that is . I cannot call to mind a car park entrance situation that only allows buses and not cars access . i visited said car park and still do not know where the retail car park entrance is . I believe the way the sat nav guided me into swindon from Bath led me from one side of the car park to the other side and the what i now know is penzance road with no gate ! leading me to believe this was the entrance for retail car park .
SHAME ON YOU SWINDLE-DON!
My wife got caught on her first visit.
BUT YOU DON’T CARE AS LONG AS YOU GET MONEY.
THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER.
RIP THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF THE THIRTY PIECES.
YOUR REPLACEMENT IS GOING STRONG.