Bus lane fines rocket

Hackney Gazette
08th September 06

MOTORISTS have received more than 22,000 tickets for driving in bus lanes in Hackney this year - an increase of more than 800 per cent on 2004/05 figures, according to a new study.
The penalty charge notices (PCNs) of £100 each could net Hackney Council up to £2.2 million in fines
The new report from the Association of Local Government shows that between April 1, 2004, and March 31 last year, just 2,744 tickets were issued for wrongly using bus lanes.
The number rocketed to a total of 22,221 between April 1, 2005, and March 31 this year, while PCNs for illegal parking went up 14,488 to 141,966, an increase of 11.4 per cent on last year's figure of 127,478.
"Everybody, I am sure, wants the buses to run to time, but an 800 per cent increase in fines in one year calls for some serious questions as to whether the council is simply on another cash-grabbing exercise," said Cllr Eric Ollerenshaw, leader of the council's Conservative group.
"But since the council fails to collect more than 50 per cent of car parking fines, I wonder how much of this massive increase has been collected."
The council assumed responsibility for bus lane enforcement in January, 2005, and received a government grant to install extra cameras.