Big Brother Cameras Enforce MORE driver fines
Posted by Roadtrafficlaw · Leave a Comment
More Fines for Bus lane drivers
An interesting article on the STV website today..
Motorists in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen could face fixed penalties of £60 later this year after the Scottish Government approved plans to fine drivers who go through bus lanes
Big brother will be watching as it looks like the camera companies have managed to persuade our elected representatives that we need, even more watching. Measures will be enforced by a series of cameras which will be installed along major bus routes in the cities.
Many of us are all too aware that Glasgow and Edinburgh have already installed cameras on their main bus roads – STV reported that ten have been set up in Edinburgh’s city centre and key routes out of the city and 12 have been put in place in Glasgow.
If you feel strongly about it then you should contact your local Councillor as they will need to plan exactly how the scheme will work in each city and seek the final approval from local councillors and then the Scottish Government before enforcement can begin later this year.
My own concern is that if we de criminalise this then how will the driver have a right of appeal and how will this be funded. I assume they envisage something similar to the parking fines appeals procedure controlled by a civil authority and NOT the courts. I do not consider that courts should be clogged with such offences, especially since no points will be attributed to this type of driving but due consideration requires to be given to the fairness and cost of a review system.
A Glasgow City Council report written in 2012 estimated that as much as £250,000 could be earned in the first year from the scheme. I am sure that we all would like to see real transparency in the subsequent spending of this new found money. How much is raised and where has it gone? Has it fallen down a black hole of operting costs for camera company etc etc
Council bosses claim that they plan to reinvest the money into city transport infrastructure.
The cameras will take a note of the number plates on all the vehicles which drive on bus lanes and a computer will confirm whether the plates are registered to buses, taxis or emergency vehicles.
Another camera will record a video of the incident which will be checked manually before a fine is actually issued.
Edinburgh transport convenor Gordon Mackenzie welcomed the new laws. Speaking to the Herald, he said: “Illegal use of these lanes can cause unnecessary delays to bus journeys and accidents but once these cameras are up and running I’m hopeful we will see a sizeable reduction in these problems.”
Under the old system, only the Police could enforce bus lane regulations by issuing a £30 fine after a local order has been passed by the council.
The exact level of the fines is still to be decided, however it is understood that a fine similar to the £60 fixed penalty notice for parking is being considered.
