More than 4,600 bus gate fines issued to drivers

A council has been issuing around 100 fines a day on average to drivers for illegally using a bus gate.

The Mill Road bridge bus gate in Cambridge was introduced on 11 March, banning vehicles except for buses, emergency services, taxis and blue badge holders' ed vehicles.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service shows more than 4,600 fines were issued in its first seven weeks.

Councillor Alex Beckett, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council's highways and transport committee, said "nobody wants to fine people" but that the restrictions made Mill Road a "more enjoyable, safer place to visit".

He said: "Mill Road is the centre of a community. We want it to be a more enjoyable, safer place to visit and to encourage more people to come into the area.

"Reducing motorised through traffic and installing the bus gate will help achieve this."

Anyone driving illegally through the bus gate can be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice of £70, discounted to £35 if paid within 21 days.

Although fines were due to begin on March 11, enforcement was suspended for two days due to emergency work to fix a burst water main in the area, with fines starting on March 13.

In the first seven weeks of the bus gate being fully operational, 4,677 fines were issued to drivers who breached the restrictions.

In the first full week of its operation, commencing March 16, there were 857 fines issued.

The highest number of fines issued in one week was in the week commencing March 30, when 887 fines were issued to drivers.

Cambridgeshire County Council agreed last year to issue a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to install a bus gate on the bridge.

This was the second time the authority agreed to issue a TRO after the first was quashed following a legal challenge.

The restrictions created under the TRO closed the bridge to all motor vehicles.

There were exemptions for local buses, taxis, emergency services, blue badge holders ed vehicles, vehicles in a disabled tax class, and vehicles on the council's permitted vehicles list.

Those who fit into one of the categories still have to apply to the county council for a bus gate exemption.

Pedestrians and cyclists were also still allowed to continue to cross the bridge.

The county council put in place a formal warning period at the start of the year, issuing warning PCNs to drivers who breached the bus gate restrictions, but not actual fines.

Signs were also put up at the bridge to warn drivers about the new restrictions.

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