Motorists to be fined £60 for driving in Wolverhampton bus lanes

Enforcement action is being introduced on five busy roads across the city.

Up to £250,000 could be raised from fines in the first year alone.

Willenhall Road, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton Road, Wednesfield Road and Cleveland Street are the first five streets – with more to follow in later months.

Wolverhampton City Council is taking over control of the bus lanes from West Midlands Police. It will cost the council £183,000 to set up its bus lane camera systems and pay maintenance costs.

But bosses will recoup that and more in the next few years.

The local authority said the bus lanes had been 'inconsistently' policed due to priorities lying elsewhere, leading to drivers blatantly disregarding the law.

Council bosses carried out a 12-hour survey and found 240 vehicles illegally using bus lanes. The cameras will be both inbound and outbound on Willenhall Road and heading out of the city on Stafford Road between Red Hill Street Clinic and Five Ways Island

On Wolverhampton Road the cameras will watch cars coming in and out of the city, as well as inbound on Wednesfield Road where it links with Wolverhampton Road.

Penalty charges notices of £60 will be issued to illegal drivers, which can be reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.

Walsall introduced bus lane cameras in 2013 and made £500,000 from 18,407 fines.

Any extra cash raised by the penalties will be used to improve the city's roads and public transport, bosses said.

Regeneration chief Councillor Peter Bilson insisted the authority wasn't looking to 'catch anyone out'. He added: "Bus lanes exist to encourage public transport by improving reliability and reducing congestion.

"Inconsistent enforcement over the years has led to some motorists having a blatant disregard for the law because they believe they will get away with it.

We aren't looking to catch anyone out, anyone who has passed their driving test knows you can't drive in a bus lane during certain hours."