REVEALED: Almost £2m raked in by bus lane cameras in Wolverhampton

There are 12 cameras across the city that capture vehicles illegally using the routes. In 2015/16 Wolverhampton council netted £1.3m, in 2016/17 £1.9m, and chiefs have confirmed they earned £1.9m in 2017/18.

Conservative councillor Udey Singh has accused the ruling Labour group of using bus fines as a cash cow.

But cabinet member Milkinder Jaspal said people needed to obey the rules of the road to avoid falling foul of the cameras.

Councillor Singh said: “We’ve raised this issue time and time again – if the cameras were an effective deterrent we would see a drop in the number of fines being dished out to people, but that isn’t happening.

“And if people are coming to Wolverhampton for the first time and aren’t familiar with the road layout they could get caught out inadvertently.

“Then for people to get fined before they even do anything in the city will put them off coming back here.

“So I think the cameras can act as a deterrent for people visiting the city. I would urge the Labour controlling council to revisit its approach, to ensure a fairer system for people who are accidentally caught out.”

The first of the cameras was introduced in June 2015. There are now 12 in the city, including sites in Pipers Row, Victoria Square and Lichfield Street.

Councillor Jaspal said: “It is beyond belief that people are still getting caught out in bus lanes. They are quite clearly marked and clearly advertised. People need to abide by the rules of the road.”

A council spokesman said: “Over the 2017-2018 financial period, the council has received £1.9m from bus lane enforcement penalty-charge notices.

“The costs associated with operating and managing this process is met from this income and any surplus can be reinvested into highway improvement projects that will benefit road users, residents and visitors.”