Drivers using city bus lanes face fines as cameras go live

The cameras, operated by Leeds City Council, have been filming motorists’ abuse of bus lanes in the fortnight leading up to the launch of the new scheme and issuing dummy warning notices, but from Monday they will be up and running for real and motorists flouting the law could be fined.

A survey by the authority in late January found nearly 2,000 drivers – 1,941 in total – illegally cutting into city centre bus lanes over three days in the same week. The vast majority of these offences took place during the morning rush from 7.30am to 9am, holding up commuter buses.

In one case, along the Wellington Road lane adjacent to Clyde Approach, 572 drivers were seen to break the law on the same day by using the bus lane.

The council’s executive member for development, Richard Lewis, said: “In an ideal world everyone would obey the law and we would have no need to do this, but our surveys show that abuse of bus lanes is rife and it therefore needs to be clamped down on to help keep the city moving.

“My message is that driving in bus lanes has long been illegal, you have been warned and you will no longer get away with it.”

Metro, which co-ordinates the transport for West Yorkshire, is supporting the scheme.

Its chairman James Lewis added: “Bus lanes are designed to enable buses, which can be carrying the same number of people as 30 or more cars, to skip congested stretches of the road and deliver passengers to their destinations quickly and efficiently.

“By ignoring the restrictions on bus lanes, which usually only apply at peak times, and using them illegally, inconsiderate motorists are cancelling out the advantages they provide and shouldn’t therefore be surprised to face a fine for this selfish behaviour.”

The council has recently acquired the responsibility from the police for enforcing rules on keeping bus lanes clear. The idea is to make sure that the cameras act as a deterrent to drivers considering ducking into the lanes.

Certain vehicles other than buses, such as emergency vehicles, are allowed to use the lanes. But the majority of vehicles, however, are not permitted to drive on them .