Britain’s ‘most lucrative’ bus lane which rakes in £4,200 a day from drivers has been revealed.
The Corporation Street bus gate in Preston, Lancashire issues a whopping 47,176 penalties a year – 13,000 more than any other in the country.
This swells council coffers by £1,545,816 yearly, which is £400,000 more than the second highest-earning penalty spot and twice as much as third place.
Thousands of motorists each year get caught out by the bus gate with many claiming to have missed small circular signs and red road markings warning them that the area permits only buses to travel through.
Those who drive along the 96-metre stretch of road are slapped with a £35 fine which rises to £105 if not paid within the first 21 days, The Times reports.
Bus gates are typically closed off to cars 24 hours a day, while bus lanes often provide windows when cars can use them.
The one on Corporation Street was implemented in May 2024 and bans any vehicle other than authorised buses, taxis and cycles from driving in the zone.
Two cameras, one at the junction with Marsh Lane and one at the junction with Heatley Street, monitor the bus gate for anyone breaking the rules.
Pictured: The bus gate along Corporation Street in Preston. It is Britain’s ‘most lucrative’ bus lane raking in £4,200 a day
Residents who have collectively coughed up more than £1m at the hands of the prolific penalty zone say it is ‘a cash cow for the council’.
Keith Brierley, 83, said: ‘They’re raking in thousands a week from people who haven’t got a clue. I’ve never been caught out myself but I moan about it enough, I might as well have done.’
One hour on a Wednesday afternoon last month alone brought in £490 for the council, with seven drivers snapped driving in the zone.
Mr Brierley added that he did not even know bus gates existed until he was made aware of the one in his local area.
To avoid being hit with a fine, motorists must take a detour round the houses, driving in a U-shaped loop before rejoining the regular part of Corporation Street.
The issue is compounded by the fact that Friargate – which runs parallel to the bus gate – is a pedestrianised zone.
Anne Fisher, 65, a volunteer at St Catherine’s Hospice shop on Corporation Street, said that the road does not change width or direction to signify the start of the bus gate, catching out thousands of drivers new to the area.
‘You can’t come into the city centre directly anymore so it’s simply putting people off coming in and out of Preston at all,’ she added. ‘All it’s done is turn the back streets into a rat run.’
The local authority insists all revenue gained from the fines is spent on road maintenance and safety improvements.
Drivers were afforded a five-week grace period to become accustomed to the new road signs along the bus gate before fines were brought in.
Only 109 victims of fines along Corporation Street have appealed, with just 22 succeeding.
Around half of the appeals against bus lane PCNs (Penalty Charge Notices) across the country are refused.
Suleman Sarwar, a Labour city councillor, said: ‘It is deeply frustrating that the revenue raised is absorbed into a wider county pot. When enforcement is constant but bus frequency is not, people understandably see it as a money-making scheme.’
Vicky Brown, managing director of Gainsborough Flooring in Heatley Street, said the bus gate had caused her to lose customers.
Councils have been slapping motorists with fines for bus lane offences since 2005, and there are 1,153 penalty zones across the country.
Across the 102 councils that responded to a freedom of information request, 1.93 million PCNs were issued bringing in £49.3m.
Manchester city council alone raked in £5.3m in revenue from 127,975 PCNs.
Suffolk and Hertfordshire are among the remaining local authorities that do not issue fines for driving in bus lanes or gates.
Lancashire county council has been approached for comment.
