Sheffield City Council Collects up to £5Million from Bus Lane Fines

[SheffieldForum]

Sheffield City Council collected up to £5.03 million in bus lane fines over the past year. The council issued 118,953 penalties from April 2022 to April 2023, ranking it second among all UK metropolitan councils for bus lane fines.

Arundel Gate: The Most Fined Location

The bus gate on Arundel Gate was the most fined location, triggering 65,946 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Installed in March 2023, this gate restricts all traffic except buses, taxis, and private hire cars from driving north towards High Street beyond the Novotel hotel. Following concerns over the high number of fines, the council plans to install a roundabout to facilitate easier turnarounds for motorists.

Other High-Fine Locations

The bus gate on Middlewood Road in Hillsborough issued the second highest number of fines, with 10,056 PCNs. The bus lane on Blonk Street in Wicker was third, with 9,711 fines. These figures were obtained from Personal Injury Claims UK through Freedom of Information requests to councils across the country.

Fine Structure and Revenue

Drivers can pay £30 if they settle within the first 14 days. The fine increases to £60 after this period, and rises to £90 if not paid within 28 days. The research indicates that the minimum revenue generated was £3.6 million. However, 24,368 drivers failed to pay within 28 days, likely resulting in a £90 fine each, bringing the total potential revenue to £5.03 million.

Sheffield’s Ranking and Comparison

Sheffield issued the second highest number of bus lane fines in the UK, trailing only Manchester City Council, which issued 227,196 fines. Birmingham was third with 84,474 fines, 34,479 fewer than Sheffield.

Top 15 Bus Lane Fine Hotspots in Sheffield

1. Arundel Gate - 65,946
2. Middlewood Road bus gate - 10,056
3. Blonk Street bus lane - 9,711
4. Furnival Gate bus lane - 6,980
5. Cavendish Street bus lane - 5,499
6. Langsett Road near Ripley Street bus gate - 5,306
7. Wicker near Stanley Street bus lane - 4,437
8. London Road bus gate - 2,495
9. Ecclesall Road bus lane near Neill Road - 2,113
10. Broad Street bus lane - 1,461
11. Holme Lane bus lane - 1,378
12. South Lane bus gate - 1,228
13. Boston Street bus lane - 1,185
14. Mansfield Road bus lane - 593
15. Granville Road bus lane - 565

Council Statement on Revenue Use

Sheffield City Council clarified that the money raised from the Arundel Gate fines is "restricted in legislation." They added, “Any surplus from its operation contributes towards highway maintenance and will in the 24/25 financial year provide additional funding for the public transport levy."

[Pyrotequila]

13 minutes ago, SheffieldForum said:

The bus gate on Arundel Gate was the most fined location, triggering 65,946 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Installed in March 2023, this gate restricts all traffic except buses, taxis, and private hire cars from driving north towards High Street beyond the Novotel hotel. Following concerns over the high number of fines, the council plans to install a roundabout to facilitate easier turnarounds for motorists.

The bold... what's wrong with people using the turning point outside the Novotel? Save some money and what will likely be huge amounts of traffic caused by road works.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3788375,-1.4678043,3a,75y,35.24h,81.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHu0q6jzwzb5I35X0NgfcOA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[SheffieldForum]

3 minutes ago, Pyrotequila said:

The bold... what's wrong with people using the turning point outside the Novotel? Save some money and what will likely be huge amounts of traffic caused by road works.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3788375,-1.4678043,3a,75y,35.24h,81.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHu0q6jzwzb5I35X0NgfcOA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

There's roadworks going to be happening there anyway with the revised Connecting Sheffield scheme, and the roundabout was in the original plans for that and the bus gate.

 

[Al Bundy]

Legalised corruption basically.

[AndrewC]

28 minutes ago, Al Bundy said:

Legalised corruption basically.

 

About time they started leaving poor motorists alone 😔😪 It's simply not fair that they fine us for something which is impossible to avoid.

[SheffieldForum]

27 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

 

About time they started leaving poor motorists alone 😔😪 It's simply not fair that they fine us for something which is impossible to avoid.

How is it impossible to avoid?

[Pyrotequila]

2 minutes ago, SheffieldForum said:

How is it impossible to avoid?

It's not.

As my link above, there's a turning circle literally right before the bus gate, where all the giant signs are... you'd have to be pretty blind to miss it 😆

[RollingJ]

15 minutes ago, Pyrotequila said:

It's not.

As my link above, there's a turning circle literally right before the bus gate, where all the giant signs are... you'd have to be pretty blind to miss it 😆

And yet quite a number do - along with all the advance warning signs from Furnival Gate onwards!

[WarPig]

8 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

And yet quite a number do - along with all the advance warning signs from Furnival Gate onwards!

 

To be fair to all those motorists receiving fines, it's difficult to see those warning signs when you're not looking or paying attention. 

[RollingJ]

1 minute ago, WarPig said:

 

To be fair to all those motorists receiving fines, it's difficult to see those warning signs when you're not looking or paying attention. 

If they are not looking or paying attention, they should not be driving - or are you being a little sarcastic?