Revealed: The roads earning town halls £1million a year in car fines, including one street raking in £10,000 PER DAY from drivers entering the bus lane
Revealed: The roads earning town halls £1million a year in car fines, including one street raking in £10,000 PER DAY from drivers entering the bus lane
- UK town halls rake in thousands of pounds every day due to traffic restrictions
- Eighteen boroughs have streets generating more than £1 million a year
Eighteen borough councils have streets collecting more than £1 million a year in car fines, it appears today.
Town halls in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton and Bristol earn thousands of pounds a day from drivers who often unknowingly enter bus lanes or take a wrong turn.
In South East London, 43,108 fines were issued for breaching traffic restrictions in Dulwich Village, amounting to £2.9 million in fines.
And the Moor Street scheme in Birmingham’s Bull Ring has issued 65,755 fines to motorists traveling on a bus lane, worth nearly £10,000 a day.
A bus lane in Oxford Street, Manchester generated around £1.7 million.
Traffic restrictions in Dulwich Village led to 43,108 fines worth £2.9 million
Eighteen boroughs have streets generating more than £1 million a year in car fines
But camera traps in Salford, Gateshead and Walsall have also been accused of helping councils behave like ‘highway robbers’.
Typical fines for traffic violations are around £130 in London and £80 outside the capital, although they are generally reduced by half if paid within 14 days.
The figures were released in response to freedom of information requests to municipalities asking which street in their area generated the highest revenue from traffic or parking violations in the 2021/2022 financial year.
Ian Taylor, director of the Alliance of British Drivers, said budget-strapped councils are looking for ‘an excuse to milk the motorist’.
He said, “It’s the modern day equivalent of highway robbers, but because councils do it, it’s legal.”
Moor Street scheme in Birmingham’s Bull Ring leads to 65,755 fines being handed out worth nearly £10,000 a day
Another of the busiest roads for tickets last year was the ‘No Through Route’ Dermody Road in London’s Lewisham area, where the council demanded £2.7 million.
A driver received seven warnings in two weeks after using the road during a school trip. Karan Singh had to pay £910 if he contested the fines and lost the appeal.
Municipalities usually say that the vast majority of road users adhere to the restrictions without any problems.
But a Department for Transport source said local authorities should review streets where a ‘disproportionate number’ of fines have been issued.