BUS LANE BULLETIN
NEW PRESTON BUS GATE GENERATES £1M IN FINES IN THREE MONTHS
A new bus gate in Preston has generated £1 million in fines in just three months. It was installed six months ago on Corporation Street in Preston by Lancashire County Council (LCC) in a bid to reduce traffic at peak times and allow buses right of way. But it has not been without issues, as initially drivers flouted the new rules, causing congestion that meant Preston Bus had to divert its vehicles away from the gate and on to other routes.
Buses, hackney carriages and
cyclists can use the bus gate, but cars and PHVs cannot. Figures from the authority show that 36,135 fines have been issued so far, with 26,627 paid to date.
Fines are £70, discounted to £35 if paid within two weeks and have so far netted LCC £968,415, with some still outstanding. There had been an initial grace period after the bus gate went live on 21 May, with the council sending out fines from 25 June. A spokesman for LCC said: “Any funds generated go into county- wide highways budget that the council has to improve the high- way network,
including safety schemes and filling potholes.”
READING PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS FINALLY GAIN BUS LANE ACCESS
Reading private hire drivers are celebrating a major victory after years of campaigning to gain access to one of the town’s main bus lanes.
The outbound King’s Road bus lane, previously restricted to buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and hackney carriages, will now be accessible to private hire vehicles. This change is expected to significantly reduce journey times to and from the Royal Berkshire Hospital and improve access to the M4 and Heathrow Airport. Kamran Saddiq, chairman of the Reading Private Hire Association (RPHA), expressed his delight at the decision, highlighting the benefits it will bring to passengers, especially those attending hospital of with special needs who rely on private hire vehicles for school transport. The new access to the bus lane
PHTM NOVEMBER 2024
necessary sign- age took some time, the council kept drivers in- formed through- out the process. Kamran Saddiq praised the council for their transparency and commitment to
became effective on October 1 following the installation of new signage. However, only hackney carriage drivers and private hire drivers licensed with Reading Borough Council will be permitted to use the lane.
The decision to grant private hire drivers access to the bus lane was made in March at a Reading Borough Council traffic manage- ment sub-committee meeting. While the installation of the
the project. He added: “Thanks to all
councillors involved, Cllr John Ennis (Labour, Southcote) former Cllr Tony Page, James Penman, the council’s network services manager, and every single councillor who voted for us. “I want to say a big thank you for finally taking this seriously, and for recognising private hire vehicles as an important form of transport, thanks from me and the association.”
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