People in Cardiff say it’s unfair the council make money from bus lane fines.
It comes after the council revealed they have raised £5.1 million from bus lane fines since 2014.
There are 13 bus lane enforcement cameras in Cardiff.
The bus lane on Caerphilly Road was opened in October, and local people say it has narrowed the main road, making it almost impossible to avoid driving into the bus lane.
Independent councillor for Heath, Fenella Bowden, says “From a resident’s point of view they see it as a cynical move to generate money, other than through council tax, because £5 million equates to 5 per cent council tax.
“Bus lanes are a good idea if you’ve got space and if you know they they need to go in terms of speeding up traffic but having experienced the poorly designed bus lane myself; the poor marking, the narrowness of the road, its so easy for a vehicle to nudge itself into the bus lane.”
Local resident, Paul White says “I would suggest this does seem like a scheme to manufacture money for the council. Having a system like this on Caerphilly Road, it’s inevitable that you are going to generate incidents.”
“The lanes are very thin now, it makes driving a very difficult and unpleasant experience. To penalize drivers for this would be tremendously unfair. the problems are a result of poor structure, not as a result of poor driving.
Cardiff City Council say “Cardiff is a city with an ever increasing population, so those living, visiting or commuting into Cardiff are being strongly advised to avoid the congestion and consider public transport. We have to make public transport more attractive and viable and this scheme is part of that process.
“By providing dedicated bus corridors and enforcing them, we will make travel by bus more direct and quicker than using a private car. The second phase of the scheme also involves enforcing banned turns. Motorists that breach banned turns are putting other motorists at risk. It is dangerous and isn’t acceptable.
“If people abide by the rules, they will not be fined. The Highway Code is in place for a reason, and we ask all motorists to abide by it.”
