A raging motorist has hit out at council bosses after it emerged they raked in almost a million pounds in fines in just eight months from a bus lane on one town centre street.
General traffic was banned from the stretch of Heaton Lane which runs between the A6 Wellington Road North and Travis Brow in Stockport last February with only buses, cyclists and licensed taxis now allowed through.
Cameras are in place with £60 fines, reduced to £30 if paid within a fortnight, being issued to anyone caught passing through the ‘bus gate.’
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Philip Brooks, 49, says he was one of those caught out when his sat-nav sent him down the road from the A6. He was so incensed he submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and asked how much money had been generated following the 'bus gate’s introduction.
And he says he was stunned to learn that £896,141.50 had been paid in fines from April to December last year. He has now accused the town hall of running a ‘cynical and calculated money-raising scam’ which ‘targets innocent motorists.’
The council refutes this. They say Heaton Lane is currently home to the town centre’s temporary bus station and that it will also be the key route in and out of the new multi-million-pound bus interchange when it is completed so it is ‘essential’ it is kept clear of traffic.
A road linking Travis Brow and the A6 was also completed in 2019 providing access between the two roads and the Pyramid roundabout they added.
Mr Brooks, from the village of Mellor in Stockport, was on his way to work when he was caught travelling through the bus gate.
An appeal based on the ‘inadequate’ signage was then rejected and he reluctantly paid up. He says after revisiting the area there are two yellow signs on the A6 that say ‘no through traffic on Heaton Lane - Camera enforcement live' one of which is partially obscured by the traffic lights.
And he says they rely on drivers, many of whom may not be from the area, knowing the name of the street and instead he believes there should be a ‘no left turn sign’ to make the prohibition clearer.
The figures suggested tens of thousands of people had been caught.
“As a driver for over 30 years and a Stockport resident all my life, I understand road signs and I know Stockport's road layouts pretty well,” he said.
“Yet I didn't know where Heaton Lane was despite having used it for many years to access the M60, going to the mini-roundabout then up to the Pyramid roundabout. I canvassed opinion with friends and acquaintances and let me assure you, none of them knew Heaton Lane.
“How do the council expect the thousands of road users from outside the Stockport area, whose sat navs send them through the bus lane, to know Heaton Lane?
“If they think someone from outside the Stockport area should know where Heaton Lane is, on a sign 100 yards away from the junction in question, on a dark rainy morning? The answer is "no".
“I was later told there was a bailout on a side street to the left, but before I knew it I was already through the bus gate, as I was totally unsuspecting of any bus lane.
“It is just absurd. An absolute nonsense. It's the main artery into Manchester, serving Stockport and Derbyshire. How could someone for example from Buxton know that Heaton Lane is situated where it is? This is a cynical and calculated money-raising scam and targets innocent motorists.”
In November last year, the Manchester Evening News reported how another disgruntled driver lodged an FOI with the council, which revealed up to that point nearly £600,000 had been raised from 32,866 penalty charge notices (PCNs).
Pete Farrar from Hazel Grove said first-time offenders should be given a warning but said there was ‘no incentive’ for the authority to improve matters.
“It is the most profitable piece of land in the Stockport area and it’s appalling commuters are being taken to the cleaners because they aren’t aware the road is now a bus lane,” he said.
Responding to Mr Brooks' complaints, a spokesperson for Stockport Council said: “In February 2022, the council opened the new bus gate on Heaton Lane in the town centre as part of the ongoing multi-million-pound transformation of the Interchange.
“Once the new Interchange has been completed, Heaton Lane, which is currently home to the temporary bus station, will continue to be an important bus access link to the new hub utilising the new bridge over the River Mersey in the town centre and it is essential we keep it clear of traffic.
“This will improve route planning and access for buses and remove them from Mersey Square. As a result of that work, and following the completion of the Travis Brow to A6 link road, Heaton Lane has now been bypassed as a through route for town centre traffic.
“The bus gate was launched on February 22, 2022, with warning letters issued to motorists before PCNs were then sent out from April 4, 2022. The council has installed clear signage on the A6 and on surrounding roads warning motorists that the bus gate is live.
“In addition, the bus gate has been advertised on the council’s social media channels, in its weekly ‘Review Extra’ newsletter to residents and in local media outlets.”
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