Ealing Council Tops The Table For Bus Lane Fines

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New report shows the authority levied more than any other in England

Ealing Council tops the table of English local authorities issuing the highest amount of fines to drivers in bus lanes according to a new report.

Figures released by the website Confused.com derived from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests show that in 2017 23,970 drivers were fined £3,116.100 in the borough. This number assumes the maximum amount of the fine is paid i.e. it is not settled early. It should be noted that only 40 local authorities responded to the FOI request.

Ealing has been one of the most prolific enforcers of bus lanes for several years. As far back as 2012 it was issuing the highest number of fines of any London council. Research by opposition councillors showed that a quarter of these PCNs were being issued for the short stretch of bus lane on Steyne Road next to Morrisons.

Other bus lane cameras that are believed to have brought in a high number of fines include the one on Mandeville Road, Northolt.

Overall, across Britain, councils are raking in millions from motorists’ mistakes - £41 million in fines were issued to drivers for passing through a bus lane in just one year.

The three councils making the most in the UK as a whole were Glasgow which issued over £6.5million in fines and Cardiff which made nearly £6 million with Ealing in third place.

The Highway Code states,  ”Bus lanes are shown by road markings and signs that indicate which (if any) other vehicles are permitted to use the bus lane. Unless otherwise indicated, you should not drive in a bus lane during its period of operation.”

Councils argue that bus lanes are sign posted to make drivers aware, but according to research almost two in five (39%) UK motorists have driven in a bus lane, although, almost half (49%) of these weren’t aware of it at the time. And two fifths (41%) of these motorists say they did not know they were driving in a bus lane because the road markings weren’t very clear, or they did not see the sign. A further one in seven (15%) did so accidentally.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, says: “The £41 million in fines issued by councils are testimony to the fact that bus lanes are one of the most confusing challenges motorists face on our already chaotic roads.

“Drivers needs to be listened to for a change – it’s only right that some of this fine money is invested to make bus lanes and signage clearer. In the meantime, we’ve launched a go-to bus lane guide to help drivers navigate through the chaos and advise how they can challenge a fine if they think it has been unfairly issued.

“While there is a place for driving fines, many feel bus lane charges are unfair and excessive, adding to the ream of costs burdening drivers.''

A spokesperson for Ealing Council said, "From the initial FOI that was received, it seems that local authorities may have misinterpreted the request. The request asked for the total cost of a fine over a three year period. The cost of a full charge bus lane PCN is £130 across London. The figures outlined are based on the actual cost of a fine and not the actual income received by local authorities over the 3 years. The figure will always be different as the actual income will be much lower compared to the cost of a fine.

"Therefore, the figure is not 40% of the total bus lane PCNs in London. It is more around the 8% mark of all of the total cost of fines in London. The London Councils official report for 17/18 states that there were 348,998 PCNs and not 136,000 as stated in the report."

November 14 2018