The top 10 places where drivers have been hit with fines for driving in bus lanes in Reading has been revealed.

Enforcement of bus lane fines has become a hot topic recently, after a driver from Liverpool complained about being fined for driving in a bus lane in Bath Road ‘outside of peak hours’.

The bus lane in Bath Road is among the top five places where drivers were caught breaking the rules, which often result in fines.

Figures for where drivers were fined and how many drivers fell foul of the rules were published in Reading Borough Council’s Annual Parking Services Report for 2020-21, made publicly available earlier this year.

READ MORE: How much Reading made from bus lane fines revealed 

The bus lane where the most people received fines, or penalty charge notices (PCNs) is the one in Minster Street, where 7,582 notices were issued in 2020-21.

Other than Bath Road and the bus gate in Beresford Road, where 3,214 notices were issued, the rest of the top five places where drivers were caught out were in Reading town centre.

You can see the top 10 places where fines were issued listed below.

  1. Minster Street (westbound) – 7,582
  2. Beresford Road (northbound) – 3,214
  3. St Mary’s Butts (northbound) – 2,722
  4. Bath Road – 2,321
  5. Friar Street (eastbound) – 1,887
  6. Southampton Street – 1,820
  7. The Forbury – 1,795
  8. Friar Street (westbound) – 1,663
  9. A33 (southbound) nearside lane 2 – 1,488
  10. Hemdean Road – 1.410

Reading Borough councillor Tony Page, lead member for transport, said: “All bus lanes in Reading are fully signed in accordance with Department for Transport guidance.

“Not all bus lanes stop at a designated time. Each will have its own traffic regulation order and hours of operation are clearly marked on the signage.

“Reading’s bus service operates some 24 hours a day routes, and restrictions have never been generalised in off-peak or peak times. In this instance, we have reviewed the PCN and the bus lane was in operation 24 hours.

READ MORE: Reading council exploring powers to punish moving traffic offences

“We would always encourage drivers who believe they have been wrongly issued a PCN to follow the appeal process which is clearly explained.

“Where an appeal is made during the discounted period and is unsuccessful, drivers still have the option of paying the discounted amount.

“The council enforces bus lanes to keep them free of traffic and reduce delays to bus passengers. All bus lane CCTV enforcement figures are made publicly available every year in the council’s annual parking report.”

Reading Chronicle: The bus lane in Bridge Street, Reading town centre. Credit: James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporting Service

In total, 44,489 bus lane PCNs were issued in 2020-21, with 1,201 being cancelled by formal representation (i.e appeals) and 741 being written off for other reasons.

Only three per cent of the bus lane PCNs issued were successfully cancelled by formal representation.

35,714 PCNs were paid (80 per cent) and 30,966 (70 per cent) of those were paid at a discount.

The council spent £1,281,910 on enforcing bus lane fines in 2020-21, and made a total of £1,408,765, delivering a £126,855 surplus.