Almost 1,000 motorists per day have been fined in just five months for driving along bus lanes on a Manchester road. Since September, 149,898 drivers were fined for infringing bus lane rules in Oxford Road, south of the city centre. Vehicles other than buses, black cabs and cyclists are prohibited from sections of the two-mile route between 06:00 and 21:00 daily.
The fines could total up to £9m, the Manchester Evening News reported. However, the full £60 fine is reduced to £30 if motorists agree to pay within 14 days. The penalty can increase to £90 if not paid within 28 days. Manchester City Council released the data for the period between 18 September and 20 February.
Some motorists have branded the bus lane restrictions "confusing". Anne Mortimer, 58, of Oakham, Rutland, received a fine while visiting Manchester in November for a music event, but had an appeal upheld. The mother-of-one told BBC Radio Manchester: "I just went in not seeing the signs. The adjudicator said the bus gate signs had too much information on so were confusing, and where I accessed the road the signs were obscured by flower beds. It's so confusing but everyone should appeal."
Angeliki Stogia, the council's executive member for the environment and skills, insisted the signs were clear. "We believe that the vast majority of penalty notices are being issued to motorists from outside of the city who are travelling to Manchester for the first time and following outdated sat nav routes," she said. "Any suggestion that the bus gates have been adopted as a revenue-raising measure is entirely false."