Newcastle City Council generates £2.4m from bus lane fines

Newcastle City Council has accumulated £2.4 million from issuing fines to motorists caught using bus lanes.

Opposition leaders have called for the council to spend the funds on revamping deprived areas of the city. The Liberal Democrat counsellors for the region have argued that the funds raised should be split equally between the city’s 26 wards - meaning there would be more than £90,000 to invest in road improvements in each area.

The council has maintained that all income generated will be invested in the city’s public transport systems and highways management.

Anita Lower, Lib Dem leader, said: “There are areas of the city in real need of investment and we think it should be spent there, not in the city centre.

“We are preparing to launch a campaign to get the council to resurface and repair pavements and roads in the wards where some major work is needed. If you live in a ward or street where the footpath has not been resurfaced for 40 years it can be very frustrating, especially when you know how much the council has to spend.”

A Newcastle City Council spokesman said: “The cameras are not there to catch out motorists, they are there to help us manage the network and improve public transport reliability. We will carefully consider any mitigating circumstances whilst dealing with appeals against bus lane penalty charges.

“Where a driver has received multiple notices and it is clear that they may not have been aware of the first notice then our approach has been to show some favourable discretion.

“We would encourage the driver to write to us and explain the circumstances so we could consider this further.”