Manchester council made almost £5m in bus lane fines in one year

Manchester council raked in almost £5m in bus lane fines in just one year, research suggests. Analysis by the AA of Department for Transport data shows English local authorities generated a combined £127.3 million in revenue from fining motorists for driving in bus lanes when not allowed during the 2022/23 financial year.

Taking £47.7 million of costs into account, this resulted in a total surplus of £79.6 million. Much of the surplus was generated by Transport for London (£48.5 million).

But Manchester council made £4.8 million, Bristol council hauled in £2.9 million, while Essex County Council took £2.5 million. The M.E.N. has previously reported how more than £10m in bus lane fines was generated on Oxford Road alone between April 2022 to September 2023.

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Parts of the road are only open to buses, black cabs and pedal cycles from 6am to 9pm every day.

Drivers in cars going through this section are stung with a £60 fine that reduces to £30 if paid within 21 days. After the huge sum was revealed Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said it suggested signs in the area must be improved.

But, he also warned that Manchester will need to follow other places around the world which are restricting driving through city centres. He said: "People in the future can't just accept that you can just drive right through the city centre. Nearly every city in the world has had to restrict that."

AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said: "Bus lanes are a huge money-spinner for many local authorities that enforce them. The cameras that monitor them haul in fines on an industrial scale.

"The problem is that, for many sites, the number of drivers caught