Walsall drivers fined £1 million for using bus lanes
Motorists were fined more than £1 million after being captured on four bus lane cameras in the Walsall borough in just two years, it has been revealed.
Three fixed cameras in Wolverhampton Road West and Hatherton Road, in Walsall, and Bloxwich High Street brought in £889,902 between January 2013 and October this year.
While Walsall Council's CCTV vehicle, which targets bus lanes, brought the council in £140,222. The total received was £1,030,214.
That figure could increase after it emerged the newly-installed camera in Bloxwich High Street caught 3,500 drivers in its first week.
The fixed penalty charge for being caught driving in a bus lane is £60, which is reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
Councillor Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council, said: "Bus lane fines are just that, they are fines for not following the correct traffic regulations. While I can't say that I am a supporter of these cameras, because I am not, they are part of the world we live in.
"It seems to me that motorists can't drive anywhere these days without picking up some fine or another, but if you comply with the bus lane rules in Walsall you won't receive a fine.
"The money isn't just taken from motorists and kept, it goes back towards repairing or maintaining our roads and highways."
Currently, 1,152 people have signed a petition to try and force the council to remove the camera in Bloxwich High Street.
Highway chiefs at Walsall Council have been asked to investigate claims that the camera is 'trapping' people who have no alternative but to join the last few yards of the lane at busy times or risk causing huge traffic jams.
In response, council officers have said the camera was installed after the location was found to be a 'hotspot' for obstructing buses and have revealed that 500 fines were issued per day during the first seven days.
Officers said the number of fines issued had since reduced and the camera would be relocated as soon as the situation was 'stable' and the junction operated efficiently.
Councillor Bird said: "There has been a lot of controversy over the Bloxwich camera, but I have been there and seen people blatantly ignoring the rules, it is dangerous and rude to other drivers. Each of these cases are reviewed before they are fined."
