UK council issues 60,000 penalty charge notices in one year – costing drivers £2million

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New Freedom of Information data released by Derby City Council showed that it issued over 60,000 fines to drivers. Council bosses said that parking in Derby is “more flexible and easier to manage” despite the new figures.

It has also been revealed that the city council issued fines to the value of almost £2million in 2021.

This included all motorist-related fines in Derby such as bus lane contraventions and not just parking.

But the council says parking enforcement and bus lanes restrictions “are in place to encourage active and sustainable travel in the city centre”.

A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: “Like many cities, we have a number of parking and travel restrictions in place in the city centre.

“While the vast majority of visitors adhere to these restrictions, we do have to enforce them with penalty charge notices in an effort to reduce breaches.

“Many restrictions are in place to encourage active and sustainable travel in the city centre, and we’ve taken extra steps to make this easier than ever.”

They added: “The Transforming Cities and Active Travel funding has allowed us to develop new cycle paths, pedestrian areas, and attractive spaces, while new bus lanes have made it easier for public transport users to reach the city centre.

“For those that choose to drive into the city centre, we’ve made parking more flexible and easier to manage, with contactless and pay-by-phone parking reducing the risk of overstaying.

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“We’ve also made it more secure with our Bold Lane car park in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter being labelled as the ‘world’s safest car park’.”

The news comes just after it was revealed that a single bus lane camera in Gateshead issued almost 30,000 fines to drivers.

A total of 29,895 charges were issued by the camera in Gateshead town centre between April 2021 and March 2022.

This equates to almost £1.8million worth of £60 notices.

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A total of 29,895 charges were issued from the town centre spot between April 2021 and March 2022.

Luckily for drivers, Gateshead Council put a complete hold on fines on Askew Road between October and January while the street was being redesigned.

Otherwise, the number of fines could have been significantly higher.

Gateshead Council’s service director for highways and waste, Marc Morley, said the authority was “as fair as possible” in its operation of the controversial camera.

Mr Morley added: “There are prominent signs and road markings in place to inform drivers they cannot use this stretch of road, and we have repeatedly adapted and improved that signage and the markings since the bus lane was first introduced.

“In 2019, before the bus lane was introduced, this stretch of Askew Road saw, on average, almost 497,000 journeys per month.

“The average number of PCNs issued for the Askew Road bus lane last year was 3,736 per month – representing only 0.75 percent of the journeys previously seen on this road.

“We are glad to see that 99 percent of drivers found an alternative route, or are now completing their journey by another mode of transport.”

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