New rules to see drivers slapped with £70 fine for parking in bus stops amid impact on the elderly
Drivers have been warned of new enforcement cameras being placed in a major city to help deter parking at bus stops.
Nottinghamshire County Council is set to install 10 new enforcement cameras at sites across the county with the aim of preventing bus stop parking in known hotspots.
The move comes after complaints were made by elderly and disabled passengers who rely on bus stop parking for step-free access to the city.
As more drivers ignore the rules and park in these spots, more passengers are struggling to board or alight the bus in their preferred location.
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As a result, the Council said it would be cracking down on rulebreakers with its new cameras and campaign “keep elderly and disabled bus passengers in mind”, aimed at raising awareness of the impacts of parking at bus stops.
The new cameras will work in conjunction with existing devices in place on Newcastle Avenue in Worksop, Plains Road in Mapperley, High Road in Beeston, Radcliffe Road in West Bridgford and Leeming Street in Mansfield which have achieved a 45 per cent reduction in parking offences over the past year.
Cameras on Leeming Street have been particularly effective with the council finding a 65 per cent reduction in incidents.
Councillor Neil Clarke said: “My message to all motorists in Nottinghamshire is to imagine that you are a bus passenger who perhaps has a disability or who is elderly and struggles with mobility and think about how you would board and alight the bus if you could not access it safely.”
He added: “All too often we are seeing parking contraventions, albeit for a short amount of time, at key bus stops meaning that buses then cannot park safely to pick up and drop off passengers.
“We typically see these offences at bus stops close to fast food outlets on busy roads but that doesn’t take away the importance of thinking before you park at any bus stop in Nottinghamshire.”
If caught parking in the bus stop lane, drivers can now face a £70 penalty, which is reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
Clarke explained that it is “really good news” that Nottinghamshire has achieved a reduction in the amount of parking offences. But he noted that there is “more work to do and that is why we have chosen to increase the number of enforcement cameras to other known areas where bus stop parking is an issue”.
The cameras have been met with mixed views from residents with one person saying enforcement is necessary as “people don’t think of others till they are in that situation themselves”.
Another social media user noted that it’s “strange” how the council can find money for new cameras but “not to repair the roads to a reasonable condition for motorists who pay their road fund licence”.
The council explained on social media that in September 2023 it installed enforcement cameras which helped reduce parking offences over the last year.
“So, remember – if you’re parking your vehicle, think twice about parking in a bus stop, even if it’s just for a short period of time because you never know the impact that this might have on bus passengers,” the local authority urged.
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The 10 new sites include:
Broomhill Road, Hucknall
Retford Road, Worksop
Carlton Hill, Carlton
Plains Road, Mapperley
Front Street, Arnold
Ravensdale Road, Mansfield
Castle Gate, Newark
Davies Road, West Bridgford
Radcliffe Road, West Bridgford