Protyre News

New research reveals motorists are left feeling confused by bus lane signage and are making calls for them to be made clearer as thousands are caught driving in a prohibited lane.
 
In new data, obtained by Confused.com through Freedom of Information requests to local authorities found that 888,760 motorists were on the receiving end of a fine for driving in a prohibited bus lane in 2017 – paying as much as £41,807,647 in fines.
 
While the issue spans across the country, councils in some regions are profiting more than most. For example, Scotland saw the highest number of drivers caught in the act, with Glasgow & Aberdeen City Council’s issuing fines to a whopping 145,408 drivers in total. This would equate to 18% of the total amount of fines issued across Britain.
 
Top three councils which issued the most money from bus lane fines in 2017

However, the most profitable bus lane isn’t located in Glasgow. One particular bus lane on Oxford high street cost local drivers £1,488,120 in 2017.
 
While councils may argue that bus lanes are sign posted to make drivers aware, it seems that they aren’t quite clear enough for motorists which is leading to a lot of confusion. In fact, almost 39% of UK motorists have driven in a bus lane and worryingly 49% of these weren’t aware of it at the time. 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 15% did so accidently.
 
It’s no wonder two in five drivers would like to see the money spent making bus lane signs clearer, while more than a third think money should be spent making the lanes more clearly marked.
 
To help drivers avoid being caught out and forced to fork out for fines, Confused.com has created a go-to guide to spotting a bus lane, and how to avoid driving in them. Usually bus lanes have signage indicating what type of vehicle can use the lane and the hours in which they can do this, but when travelling through roads surrounded by buses, cyclists and other traffic, these signs can be easily missed. In fact, motorists who have been fined for driving through a bus lane have been caught twice, on average.
 
Confused.com’s guide to avoiding a bus lane highlights just how easy it can be to refute a bus lane if it is issued unfairly. More than a third of all motorists who have driven through a bus lane received a fine at some point – 17% of which refuted it and did not have to pay.
 
There are some cases where drivers deserved a fine. 28% of motorists who have driven in a bus lane admit to deliberately driving through to bypass traffic.
 
Deliberate or not, councils are clearly making a lot of money from motorists driving through bus lanes. and motorists would like to see councils using the money they make to improving bus lanes, which in turn would reduce the amount of fines they are receiving.
 
The cost of motoring is already a burden on drivers, with fuel at record prices and car insurance premiums starting to creep up without the added pressure of fines.
 
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.”