Hundreds of drivers wrongly handed £60 fines for using bus lane after council ‘admin blunder’
HUNDREDS of drivers were wrongly fined £60 for using a bus lane in a huge council blunder.
Hull City Council trialled extended bus lane hours to cover 7am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday - but these expired in January.
An admin error meant a traffic order making the experiment permanent was never passed - meaning drivers no longer had to avoid the bus lane during extended hours.
But those who entered the lane were STILL being fined by the council - even though the fees couldn't be upheld.
A council spokesman confirmed full refunds will be issued to anyone who was wrongly fined.
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The mix-up is expected to cost at least £200,000 and a new order is unlikely to be in place until at least the end of next month.
Officials urged drivers to stay out of the bus lanes in the meantime, reported.
A spokesman for Hull City Council said: "This was as a result of an administrative error and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience.
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"We will be contacting all affected drivers directly so there is no need to contact us.
"After a successful trial period, Hull City Council's cabinet voted in December to make the 7am to 6.30pm bus lanes permanent and this is currently being implemented.
"While this is in progress, we ask drivers not to use the bus lanes. We will begin enforcing the orders as soon as they are made permanent at which point driving in a bus lane will result in a penalty charge notice."
The council collected £713,000 in bus lane fines before the pandemic in 2018/19.
Income raised from the penalties is used for highway works and to subsidise young people's travel.
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Analysis of the extended hours pilot showed a nine per cent improvement in bus journey times across the city.
Both of Hull's main bus operators said they ran quicker and more punctual services as a result.