Coventry Council issued more than 40,000 bus lane fines in 12 months

Coventry City Council has issued thousands of bus lane fines to drivers in the past year.

The council issued more than 40,000 bus lane fines in the year to April 2024, according to freedom of information requests from consultancy Personal Injury Claims UK.

The data showed that the council also ranked highly for the number of fines compared to similar authorities.

A Coventry City Council spokesman said access to the bus lanes had been restricted to reduce journey times and bus traffic, as well as to improve air quality.

The figures showed the authority issued 42,813 tickets to drivers for breaching bus lane restrictions in the 12-month period.

Coventry issued the fourth highest number of fines out of 22 metropolitan boroughs, with only Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham sending out more during this time, the research found.

The tickets were worth £1.2m if each driver paid £30, the company said.

A bus gate on Hales Street, at the junction with The Burges, accounted for more than 27,000 of the fines issued. This bus gate is effective from July 2023.

A bus gate is a short section of road that can only be used by buses, as opposed to a single lane.

A Coventry City Council spokesman said: “Access to bus lanes is restricted to licensed buses, taxis and other vehicles with the aim of reducing bus journey times, reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality.” .

They added that many local authorities enforced their bus lanes and any driver who received a fine could appeal to an independent adjudication service.