The 10 bus lane hotspots to be cameras’ focus
Drivers using Greenways can delay bus journeys
The ten bus lane “hotspots” which will be policed by cameras to catch drivers cheating on the city’s Greenways were identified today.
The city council is to take over responsibility for catching drivers using bus lanes to bypass slow- moving traffic.
The fines for unlawful use of the city’s Greenways are to double to £60 when the council starts issuing them from April 2.
Five cameras will rotate between ten different locations where the bus lanes are abused, including routes into the city from Calder Junction, Leith Street, Old Dalkeith Road at Cameron Toll and Willowbrae Road at Jock’s Lodge, as well as routes heading away from town in Calder Road at Bankhead Avenue, London Road at Jock’s Lodge, North Bridge and Willowbrae Road at Jock’s Lodge.
Council chiefs estimate that they will dish out a minimum of between 2000 and 4000 fines a year, which would cover the annual operating costs of the cameras.
Motoring groups welcomed the crackdown on motorists that break the rules – but insist fines must not be issued to drivers who have no choice but to use the bus lane.
Neil Greig, director of policy at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: “The majority of law-abiding drivers get fed-up seeing people abusing the bus lanes, so the news that they will be enforced for once is very good.
“In general terms I’ve got no problem with cameras, but the key thing is they can be very black and white. The position of the camera is critical because there have been cases in London where everyone coming out of a garage got a ticket when they actually had no choice but go in the bus lane.
“There will be instances in Edinburgh where people need to access them to access a driveway. Anyone also needs tthe right to appeal if they feel a fine is unfair and they only transgressed for a moment.”
Hazel McLaughlin, a member of staff at the Crofters pub on Calder Road said the cameras would be a welcome addition to the area.
“I think it’s a good thing,” she said. “We don’t really see many drivers using the bus lanes, but if it’s a camera then it will catch people out, and the more coverage there is of the area the better.”
Police officers are currently responsible for issuing £30 fines, but the city council will gain the power to dish out fines from April 2 at the “hotspots” and it plans to put up the payment to £60 a fine, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
Police, who will retain the powers to issue £30 fines in areas without cameras, have previously faced criticism for not handing out enough penalties The number of fines issued reduced from 700 in 2009 to 600 in 2010. In 2011, only 500 fines had been issued by October.
The cameras will use Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology to record infringements, with the information being transmitted back to a server.
It is estimated that the camera system will cost £290,000 to set up then an annual £120,000 to operate, but officials say that income from fines should exceed the annual operating costs.
Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, the city’s transport leader, said: “Illegal use of these lanes can cause unnecessary delays to bus journeys and accidents but once these cameras are up and running I’m hopeful we will see a sizeable reduction in those problems.”
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Comments
There are 112 comments to this article
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thedugsbaws
Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 12:00 PMMr Reynolds[Journo} of the Evening News said the bus-lanes in Calder Road were only in use during the "rush hours" saying the restricted hours,I hope he will pay the fines as they are in operation 6 Days a week
Richard Lionheart
Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 05:41 PMSo, if the only non bus lane is obstructed. Sit where you are and wait for a police officer to guide you round the obstruction, remembering to get the officers details, including hisher badge No
Richard Lionheart
Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 05:39 PMCity of Edinburgh Council................Creating Congestion, Increasing Fines
Richard Lionheart
Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 05:36 PMIn a nutshell then. If the only non bus lane has an obstruction on it including inpromtu road works do not go into the bus lane. Stay put, put on your hazard flashes and wait for a police car to escort you round the obstruction. Get authorisation from the Police officer in writing and make sure you get a note of the officers number. City of Edinburgh Council ...........Creating Congestion, Increasing Fines. All bus lanes of less then 500mtrs should be scrapped with immediate effect.
M9
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 09:07 PMSlateford would be unworkable if cars didn't use the bus lane. Buses wouldn't even get near the bus lane. It doesn't affect me as I'm turning right up Craiglockhart avenue, but thank goodness for those that do. I use buses a lot, and I'm all in favour of bus lanes where they are sensibly applied, but do our planners ever come out of their offices and look at traffic behaviour in the rush hour? One thing the Calder road bus lanes have proved is how much damage buses do to the road surface compared with cars.
kenwilliamson
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 02:15 PMIt is so obvious when a camera has been removed to be rotated to another location. You currently can see that the one at London Road has been removed, there is just a bracket on top of the pole. Some deterent Ha Ha
Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 03:38 PM#105: They need to start making the bus lanes, markings and signage comply with the law first. Not one single bus lane in Edinburgh is both marked and signed correctly and in most cases, both markings and signage is wrong. In many places, the abus lanes they have put there cannot ever be made to comply with the regulations because, put simply, the bus lanes in question shouldn't be there in the first place.....................Bus lanes are actually intended to allow ease of access for buses to terminii, depots and stations. When used for the proper purpose, they greatly assist the ingress and egress of buses whilst keeping them separate from other traffic.........................Nowadays, bus lanes are used as a means of preventing other traffic from making full use of the road and hence causing congestion, wasting fuel and slowing the city down. In some places, the bus lanes that have been put in place in order to pig-headedly obstruct other traffic actually cause a danger. In other places if the bus lanes rules were followed pedantically, it would cause gridlock...................It is about time that this whole scheme was scr@pped.
Account deleted
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 01:15 PMGood idea but they need clearer rules on bus lane use, the timimgs and the signs are very unclear at times.
Baldred Neo-Bisset
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:07 PMSorry, that last bit should read: the council won't make that mistake again by putting these cameras to a referendum!
Baldred Neo-Bisset
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:04 PM#32, #34 and #36 - work for the council? If not, you should get a job there as you'd certainly 'fit in'. A revenue generating scheme that acts as a deterrent is an oxymoron, sorry, that's a big word, i.e. they contradict each other. If the scheme's making money, then it's failing as a deterrent. If it's deterring, it's clearly not gonna make money. Not too hard to grasp. Yet, you three (I'm sure there were others on this list but you were all strangely in proximity to each other) and the council seem to have difficulty grasping this point. Rather reminiscent of the idiotic rationale that was used for the zone charging the council tried to get in a few years back but the citizens voted down. Be sure the council won't make the mistake again of by putting these cameras to a referendum! They have form this council!
leithforme
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:15 AMhave a look at the committe report on briniging this in - little or nothing about about decreasing congestion or pollution, just all about revenue production - shame on the council, you been caught! http:www.edinburgh.gov.uksitecustom_scriptsgoogle_results.php?q=bus+lanes
leithforme
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:57 AMPending Moderation
Phil C
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:26 PM#96 keekibump... E,.'!
ClubmanSanth
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 08:13 PMActually, @Freewheelin, counter-intuitive though it seems, the car is also helping me get my other half back on the bike after being scared off the road a couple of years back. http:www.citycycling.co.ukIssue6Car1.html Serious offer, contact me through the site if you want to meet for a coffee and chat through cycle 'activism'. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
happyaslarry
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 08:11 PMAbout time the got they mini cabs using them who are not allowed!!
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