MOTORISTS in the district had to pay fines totalling nearly £2.3 million in one year for driving in bus lanes, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal today.

Critics have branded the figures “shocking” and described the bus lane cameras as a “nice little earner” for Bradford Council.

But the local authority said “effective and efficient” bus lane enforcement allowed buses to pass through congested areas more easily, creating “more consistent journey times.”

The Council collected £2.283m in bus lane fines from 21 bus lanes for the 12 months from April 2015 to April last year, compared to £1.866m in 2014/15. By February 28 this year, it had already collected £1.794m for the 2016/17 financial year.

This compares to £867,253 which the Council gained in fines from five bus lanes in 2011/12.

The five bus lanes where the most revenue was collected during 2015/16 were Bolton Road, Bradford with £329,648; Bridge Street, at its Broadway junction (£292,119); Thornton Road, at the junction with Ingleby Road (£208,729); Church Bank, towards Bolton Road (£205,501) and Bridge Street, at its Interchange junction, Bradford, (£204,054).

Bus lane fines are set at £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.

The five camera-controlled bus lanes most misused by motorists were Bridge Street’s Broadway junction in Bradford, where 11,194 fines were issued in 2015/16; Bolton Road, Bradford, (10,093); Church Bank, towards Bolton Road, Bradford, (9,786); Thornton Road’s junction with Ingleby Road (7,640) and the Bridge Street, Interchange junction, Bradford, (7,076).

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, the Liberal Democrats group leader, said she was shocked by the amount of money raised from the fines. She said: “It’s a nice little earner. I am shocked by these figures that so many people can’t read the instructions. People should obey the law and stick to the rules, though, but it’s an extraordinary amount of money. But the Council needs to take a look at these figures and see if they can improve the situation.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Simon Cooke, leader of the Conservative group in Bradford, called for more speed cameras in the district instead. He said: “These figures are shocking. We have our priorities wrong here. It is one of the things that annoys me the most, we have plenty of money to put cameras in bus lanes, but not money to put speed cameras on the other roads. That is what residents are telling me they would like to see.”

A total of 84,528 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued to drivers in 2015/16, compared to 68,507 in 2014/15 and 54,611 in 2013/14. A total of 62,327 fines have been issued in the 2016/17 year up to February 28, this year.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “Bradford Council operates bus lane enforcement across the city, in areas where there is a traffic congestion issue or problems with bus lane abuse. This means that if a vehicle is captured by CCTV using a bus lane during restricted hours a PCN may be issued. The aim is to give priority to certain groups of road users by excluding others during prescribed hours. This would result in improved bus reliability, increased road safety and more use of bus lanes by pedal cyclists. Effective and efficient bus lane enforcement will allow the Council and its partners to achieve easier and more consistent journey times for buses through congested areas by allowing the free flow of bus lane traffic. The figures show a decrease in bus lane violations over the past year which is good news for all road users.”

A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesman said: “Bus lanes are essential tools to keeping our cities and towns moving, benefitting the local economy by cutting the transport costs of local businesses. For them to be effective, the regulations that apply to bus lanes need to be applied. Inconsiderate car drivers who block these lanes can cancel out the advantages they provide.”

Paul Matthews, managing director of First West Yorkshire, said: “We are working hard to make bus travel an attraction option for people across Bradford, but we need to also tackle the issue of congestion so that we can improve the reliability of services.”