Bus gate fines reach £1m after year of operation

More than £1m in fines has been issued in the last year to drivers who illegally used a bus gate.

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

A Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service found that 15,483 fines had been issued as of 29 April, with a total value of about £1,083,810.

"Mill Road is the centre of a community. We want it to be an enjoyable, safe place to visit and to encourage more people to come into the area," said a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council.

"Reducing motorised through traffic and installing the bus gate helps achieve this," they added.

The figure does not take into account any discounts applied – such as the 50% reduction if the fine is paid within three weeks.

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.

The 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.

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

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