Wolverhampton bus lane cameras a turn for the worse?

Motorists say, due to the layout and angle of the road, they have to go into the lane on Wolverhampton Road, Heath Town, when carrying out legitimate U-turns.

However, the lane is one of five in the city to have been fitted with a camera, and they are now picking up penalties.

The bus lane cameras were turned on two weeks ago in Wolverhampton Road, Willenhall Road, Stafford Street, Wednesfield Road and Cleveland Street – and in the first seven days, more than 3,000 drivers were snapped by them. There was an initial grace period when drivers only got a warning letter but, as of Monday, it's now a £60 fine.

Several drivers have already been sent warning letters after carrying out U-turns on Wolverhampton Road.

Anthony Henry, aged 40, from Park Village, who uses the road on his journey to get his weekly shopping at Asda, is one of them.

"If people are driving in bus lanes, then fair enough, they should be fined," he said. "The problem with this is that if you carry out the U-turn correctly, you have to enter the bus lane and if you don't complete the manoeuvre correctly, you are compromising your safety and the safety of others on the road.

"People are going to be paying out a lot of money every day unless something is done or the situation is cleared up as to what you can or can not do. It is a big concern for people who drive large vehicles especially."

Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator for Low Hill, David Hawtin, 69, said: "The camera should be moved just down the road or else this could cause a death.

"If people drive in the bus lane they deserve what they get but you often can't help but go into that bus lane. There needs to be a properly-marked area to show people where to carry out the turn, that would be common sense. In my mind, the camera needs moving further down, away from the U-turn so nobody is being penalised for doing what they are allowed to do.

"It also needs to be a lot more visible. This road is a major route into Wolverhampton. It has got to be sorted." Steve Harris, 61, from Bushbury, uses the road regularly and said: "They couldn't have put the camera in a worse place if they had tried to. It is an accident waiting to happen, people just stop when they see the camera."

Councillor Milkinder Jaspal, who represents the Heath Town ward, said: "I have received a number of complaints from residents who have been given these warning letters and feel they are being wronged. It is something that needs to be looked at."

A council spokesman said: "Only people who drive for an unreasonably long distance in a bus lane – which we consider more than 20 metres – will receive a penalty charge notice. When the cameras pick up a suspected infringement, the video footage is reviewed by a person in our enforcement team who make the decision.

"Penalties are not being issued to drivers who enter the bus lanes by mistake or because it is impossible not to due to the road layout. If a driver is seen to make a genuine attempt to get out of the bus lane at the earliest, safe opportunity to do so, they will not issue them with a ticket."