Posted by 
Two further bus lanes planned for Preston are still on track, as it’s been revealed the new Corporation Street bus gate has already totted up nearly £1million for the county council.
The short stretch of bus-only road between the Marsh Lane junction and Heatley Street junction was strongly criticised by nearby businesses.
Its early operation was flawed with Preston Bus at one stage diverting its fleet of services away from the route due to congestion when the traffic light signals were not updated to reflect the bus gate being operational.
Read more: ‘Grace period’ for Corporation Street bus gate saw 8,523 warning letters issued
But after a grace period from when the bus gate became operational the actual penalty charge notices have begun landing on doormats and in inboxes since late June.
Figures released by the county council and published by BBC Lancashire showed 36,153 penalty notices had been issued for driving in the bus gate. The majority of the fines were paid within two days of being issued which means drivers paid a discounted fee of £35.
The bus gate means only buses, Hackney Carriage taxis and cyclists can use the stretch of road – with cars, private hire taxis and other vehicles also restricted.
The bus gate operates 24-hours-a-day, unlike some other bus-only areas such as the Fishergate bus lane through the city centre which has set restricted hours.
A spokesperson for the county council said: “Since this opened in May, 36,361 Penalty Charge Notices have been issued to drivers who drove through the Corporation Street bus gate.
“Any funds generated go into county-wide highways budget that the council has to improve the highway network, including introducing safety schemes and filling potholes.”
In May figures published by the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed the total number of fines for driving in a bus lane in Preston had tumbled by 6,000 year-on-year.
The bus lane in Fishergate was catching the most drivers out, with 8,795 drivers caught and Corporation Street looks set to dwarf this during its first year of operation.
In recent months it has been confirmed the county council is motoring on with two further bus lanes for the city.
New Hall Lane is to see a stretch of bus lane put in with an ‘update due in the coming weeks’ on when work is due to start. It has faced calls from councillors on the city council, who represent the Fishwick ward where the bus lane will run through, to scrap it.
Another bus lane on Ribbleton Avenue is at the ‘very early stages of design’.
Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.
Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines
