Six more spy cameras soon to catch drivers parking in Bristol's bus lanes
Six more spy cameras will soon be installed in Bristol to catch drivers who park illegally in the city’s bus lanes.
They will be mounted on lamp posts and can be easily moved around to different sites.
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A council spokeswoman insisted the cameras were to keep bus lanes clear and therefore prevent traffic congestion - there was no agenda to use them as a revenue earner to ease the civic budget.
But a few weeks ago it was revealed that the council raised more than £1.5 million over three years from illegal bus lane parking.
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The cameras, which use state-of-the-art technology to recognise registration plates on vehicles, have been bought from a Frome-based company with a contract phased over three years.
They use infrared technlogy which means they can read number plates in the dark.
They also use tamper-proof security packs which means the video can be used in court cases if an infringement is disputed.
They automatically recognise vehicles such as buses, taxis and fire tenders which are allowed to use bus lanes.
The £103,000 contract for 10 cameras has seen four already installed, another two which are about to be fitted and four more awaiting delivery.
The council spokeswoman said: “We are still catching too many people driving illegally in bus lanes and it’s impacting on bus reliability.
“People may think we like raising the money, but in fact we just need to persuade people to obey the rules.
“Fixed camera enforcement means that the camera will catch offenders every time. So if they have more sense than money they will stop doing it, and that’s all we ask.
“Our aim is to make zero pounds and zero pence from bus lane enforcement, and for everyone to do the right thing and stay on the right side of the line.”
Steve Hill, managing director of SEA, the firm supplying the cameras, said: “I am confident that the SEA ROADflow system will lower offence rates and minimise traffic disruption.”
The council already uses two Fiesta vans which have a camera fitted on the roof to spot illegal parkers.
Drivers who have infringed parking rules are sent a £70 fixed penalty notice which is reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
The specially-adapted vans, which cost £44,000 each, are used to detect parking contraventions at schools, keep clear zig-zag markings, bus stops, pedestrian crossings, taxi ranks, hospital emergency spaces and where a loading restriction is in place.
During the period between 2010 and 2013, more than 57,000 tickets have been issued for driving in bus lanes.
The council said this was the time when drivers were getting used to new restrictions.
5 Comments
by DM_Fishponds
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 3:28PM
“"The specially-adapted vans, which cost £44,000 each, are used to detect parking contraventions at schools, keep clear zig-zag markings, bus stops, pedestrian crossings, taxi ranks, hospital emergency spaces and where a loading restriction is in place."
The irony is that almost daily I see one of these £44,000 vans stuck in the morning 'rush-hour' traffic on Fishponds Road travelling at less than 5 mph.
All the inbound traffic on Fishponds Road is not delayed by cars parked in the bus lane. They are delayed because GBBN failed to address the traffic congestion problems in Bristol and in a single-minded attempt to try and improve bus reliability, GBBN actually made things worse!”
by DM_Fishponds
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 1:05PM
“@Gavin - ". . . bus lanes are cycle lanes too and cars parked in them are a danger to cyclists causing them to move out into the flow of cars to pass the obstruction"
What do cyclists think of the sticky-out bus stops? Are they:-
a. Just perfect?
b. A necessary evil?
c. More trouble than they're worth?
d. One more reason to cycle on the pavement?”
by Gavin
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 12:51PM
“"and cycle lanes, perhaps?" - same thing, bus lanes are cycle lanes too and cars parked in them are a danger to cyclists causing them to move out into the flow of cars to pass the obstruction”
by Brandon_Hill
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 10:09AM
“and cycle lanes, perhaps?”
by DM_Fishponds
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 9:36AM
“GBBN (the Greater Bristol Bus Network) is a failure.
The council officers and former Executive Members responsible would like to blame car drivers for the failure rather than accept that it was badly designed.
When will they realise that buses stopped in the flow of traffic at sticky-out bus stops cause more disruption to traffic flow than bus lane parking?
The council are throwing another £103,000 after the £84 MILLION wasted on GBBN. No doubt these cameras will make a 'profit' on the back of another failed vanity project (GBBN), and the council will declare the whole sorry project a success!”