Reading bus lane fines earn council £1.3M profit
Council reveals figures for fixed penalty notices
Reading’s top 10 bus lanes that drivers were caught out in most over the past year have been revealed as the number of fines issued has soared.
Each year, Reading Borough Council publishes figures for how many driving fines it has dished out, including fines for drivers who flout bus lane rules.
While bus lane rules costs the council £1.107 million (£1,037,398) to enforce, they generated £2,420,852 in total income in 2021/22, leaving the council with a surplus of £1.383 million (£1,383,454 )from bus lane enforcement.
Bus lanes in Reading are reserved for buses and occasionally other approved vehicles such as taxis, motorbikes, and bicycles.
If a driver goes into a bus lane incorrectly, they are issued a penalty charge notice (PCN). The number of PCNs issued in the last financial year, April 2021 to April 2022 has been revealed in a council report.
During that time, a total of 78,757 bus lane PCNs were issued, with 64,692 (82 per cent) of these resulting in a person paying a fine.
The cost of a fine is £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days of the PCN.
Of the fines paid, 57,363 (73 per cent) were paid at the £30 discount, with 7,329 paid in full.
The number of bus lane PCNs served has soared compared to 2020-21, at the peak of the pandemic, with the 44,489 PCNs in 2020/21 rising by 34268 to 78,757 in 2021/22.
Top 10
Minster Street westbound – 9,384
St Mary’s Butts northbound – 5,730
London Street northern section – 5,113
Blagrave Street east to west section – 4,979
Bath Road – 4,801
Friar Street westbound – 3,805
Beresford Road northbound – 3,695
Friar Street eastbound – 3,069
Hemdean Road – 2,790
A33 soutbound nearside lane 2 – 2,518