Wycombe bus lane enforcement needed says Carousel Buses

Bus lanes must be kept clear at peak times, Carousel Buses has said following news that a new traffic camera in Wycombe has not been switched on yet.

The camera next to the bus lane on the A40 London Road is one of 14 Buckinghamshire Council has rolled out across the county to enforce moving traffic restrictions.

The new technology, which cost £500,000 in total, catches drivers for offences such as driving through a no entry sign, making banned turns and entering a yellow box junction without a clear exit.

But as of this week, cameras in some areas are still not live despite being fitted last autumn and a planned switch-on date of January 2025.

A Carousel Buses spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Bus lanes and camera enforcement are important, especially on key corridors like London Road, to help us get people around quickly and efficiently.

“We’ve invested significantly in providing a bigger bus network, including taking on Arriva’s services and we’ve had a great response from the public with passenger numbers growing.

“Therefore, we support any council measures that help us run our services better for our customers.”

The council has blamed technical issues for the delays in switching on the cameras, the locations of which were suggested by residents.

Wycombe mayor Nathan Thomas, who represents Tylers Green and Loudwater on the council, has asked the cabinet member for transport when the London Road camera will go live.

He told the LDRS: “There is a need for enforcement, as Bucks Free Press’ own evidence highlighted offences being committed by those who do not follow the restrictions of the bus lane.”

The Bucks Free Press previously found that one driver every two minutes was breaking the rules of the London Road bus lane.

The rules allow only buses, bicycles, motorbikes and taxis to use the bus lane from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, while all vehicles may use the lane outside of these times.

And despite the eyewatering cost to taxpayers, the council’s 14 new cameras have so far only brought in £630 from 51 penalty charge notices (PCNs) since they were switched on.

Data on the cameras, correct as of March, was obtained using freedom of information requests submitted by the LDRS.

It shows that all the cash came from drivers being fined by new cameras limiting goods vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes on Bangors Road in Iver.

This location saw 44 PCNs alone, while five came from a new camera policing a ‘no right turn’ zone from North Orbital Road in Denham, and a couple came from a camera at a ‘no entry’ point into Lower Way, Padbury.

Money from PCNs is spent on road repairs, public transport and other environmental projects, according to the council, which has previously stressed that fines are not a ‘cash cow’.

The freedom of information request also revealed the total cost to the council of the 14 cameras was £496,782.