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Preston’s latest bus lane will start being monitored by cameras during May.
Lancashire County Council has begun installing the new cameras along New Hall Lane.
The stretch of bus lane, the ninth bus-only area in the city, runs from near the Mosley Street turn in the city centre direction up to just before the London Road junction.
Read more: Preston’s tenth bus lane is planned for Ribbleton Lane
Work began in January on bringing in the bus lane which has faced fierce criticism from local businesses and city councillors – who say it is not needed.
The county council has defended the bus lane, saying it’s been planned since 2022 and is needed to improve bus services.
In recent days the cameras have started to appear on lampposts along the route near to Lidl and Centenary Mill – but will not start snapping motorists until May and even then warning letters will be issued at first during a ‘grace period’ before fines start to land on doormats of drivers flouting the bus lane.
Peter Bell from the county council’s highways department said: “Improvements to bus service delivery at the New Hall Lane junction were first considered in 2022, as part of HM Government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan funding allocation.
“We are in the process of installing and configuring the cameras. The bus lane won’t become enforceable straight away once the works are complete, and the cameras are due to go live in May. We will make sure to inform residents and visitors to the city aware before these go live.
“All monies recovered from enforcement of any scheme are reinvested into improving our highways and road infrastructure.”
Signage has been up for two months warning of the new bus lane and there’s gaps in the bus lane maintained for turns into Lidl and other businesses and side roads along the city-bound side of New Hall Lane.
Once the bus lane is complete then major works to the London Road and New Hall Lane junction are due to take place later in 2025.
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