Motorists using the Fishergate bus lane between 11am and 6pm will be fined once again.
AdvertisementBus lane cameras were turned back on from Monday 6 November and anyone using it during the restricted hours has received a warning letter.
Now Lancashire County Council is to reinstate the penalty charge notice – which were controversially withdrawn in April when an inspector ruled the signage was inadequate.
Since then the county council has reworked its signs for the bus lane and also introduced a two-way system in Lune Street to allow drivers from St Georges to leave via the Ringway.
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From Monday (4 December) a £60 fine, reduced to £30 if paid promptly, will be issued to any driver flouting the bus lane.
Cabinet member for highways and transport county councillor Keith Iddon said: “From Monday, drivers who misuse the bus lanes will receive a penalty charge notice. We don’t want anyone to get caught out by these cameras, which is why we introduced the short grace period.
“We’re happy if we don’t make a penny from the cameras, as it means that people are doing the right thing.
“There was a significant increase in the number of drivers ignoring these restrictions when we suspended the camera enforcement, which showed that we need additional measures in place. The numbers have come down since we started issuing warning notices, but some people are still choosing to misuse the bus lanes.
“These bus lanes have removed an average of 2,700 vehicles every day from the section between Mount Street and Corporation Street. We know that bus journeys have become more reliable and journey times have reduced.”
“People using the shopping centre car park and driving through Avenham were particularly affected when the bus lanes were first introduced. The Lune Street changes are helping to resolve some of the issues that we identified during the trial period and improve the overall experience in the city centre for drivers and pedestrians.”
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The county council confirmed since the cameras were switched back on 4,910 warning notices had been issued to drivers.
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