Drivers slapped with unfair fines worth millions of pounds amid new traffic laws
Bus gates in the city were rolled out in August 2023
GETTY
Nearly 50,000 fines have been issued to drivers for breaking a crucial rule in a major UK city within the first seven months of operation.
Aberdeen City Council slapped drivers with 48,768 fines for travelling through a bus gate in the region between November 2023 and June this year.
The fines were recorded in a Freedom of Information request which discovered the number of fines sent to drivers since November last year when the gates were rolled out mainly across Market Street, Guild Street and Bridge Street.
Fines for driving through a bus gate were £60 but could be reduced by half if paid within 14 days, although charges were hiked on May 22, with drivers now facing a fine of £100, lowered to £50 if paid early.
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Drivers can be fined £100 for using a bus gate
ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL
Shockingly, the FOI found that more than 11,000 fines have still not been paid by drivers with the council losing out on roughly £672,000.
The bus gates were rolled out in August last year, with drivers given a three-month grace period where warnings were handed out instead of fines.
The council detailed: “If you drive in a bus lane during the times of operation or through a bus gate at any time, your vehicle registration details will be captured on camera.
“We will then ask the DVLA for details of the registered keeper of the vehicle. We will issue a bus lane enforcement charge notice to the registered keeper.”
Since November, drivers have been fined for traffic infringements with more than £3million worth of charges handed out by the local authority.
The data revealed that the bus gate on Guild Street was the most notorious for fining motorists with 31,024 penalties sent out between November and the end of June.
This equated to more than £1.8million worth of fines while Bridge Street issued 15,179 drivers caught out by the bus gates over the seven months.
Market Street notably gave out the fewest fines with 2,565 sent out during the recorded period. Since the bus gates began fining drivers, there have been many objections raised by the council.
A recent survey from Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce found that 90 per cent of respondents thought the traffic measures had a negative impact on their usual activities in Aberdeen city centre.
Additionally, nearly four in five residents warned that they would visit the city less often, while more than half (51 per cent) stated the measures impacted their travel time.
A spokesperson for the council said: “No projections were made of the volume of enforcement notices that would be issued however the figures have generally decreased over time as would be expected as drivers become used to the new driving routes.
“We would encourage all drivers to find alternative routes and not drive through bus gates. We are following up on any unpaid fines.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Guild Street bus gate resulted in 31,024 penalties being issued
GETTYLast month, the council suspended a bus gate to allow construction works to continue around the New Market development in the city centre.
The bus gates between junctions on Adelphi and Hadden Street would be affected and temporarily closed from mid-to-late August.