Motorists fined £8million a year by traffic camera installed by Labour

A single traffic camera has fined motorists a record-breaking £8million worth of fines in the space of a year following a Labour council's installation of the 'cash cow' right next to an MOT centre.

The Bull Lane bus gate, which excludes all motor vehicles except buses, was set up to promote 'active travel' on a north London industrial estate in August 2023.

But it seems to also be promoting incessant fining with 63,134 penalties handed out within a year of the lane's installation.

Naughty drivers who break the rules have raised copious amounts of money for the local authority as they are caught by Enfield council's automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera monitoring the road.

Assuming the fines raked in were paid at the full £130 rate, the council would have received £8,207,420 total - the highest sum potentially ever raised by a bus gate.

And it is not just motorists who have been affected by the camera - owners of local businesses are calling for the scheme to be scrapped because customers are 'too scared' to visit the area.

Vehicles, including articulated lorries and trucks, report that they are forced to make U-turns to avoid fines.

Data released by the council under freedom of information laws show the camera was handing out the equivalent to 172 penalty charge notices (PCNs) each day, worth up to £22,000.

Data released by the council of its most lucrative enforcement cameras shows the bus gate issued seven times more tickets than its second best-performing ANPR camera.

September 2023, saw the bus gate serve 18,185 fines, worth £2.3million if paid in full rather that the reduced £65 rate, the Telegraph reports.

Lucas Stavrinou of Demitris Motor Repairs, an MOT centre next to the gate, went so far as to suggest he feared the camera was positioned to 'maximise fines' as it was placed conveniently near North Middlesex University Hospital and the Tottenham football stadium.

Mr Stavrinou said: 'Customers won't come here because they have already had numerous fines or don't want to risk getting another.'

The dismayed trader also described how a 'drop in trade' had resulted in him reducing his workforce from five to three mechanics.

Hassan Orhan, a manager at Elite Bathrooms and Plumbing, which has a warehouse on the lane, told of how delivery drivers face a 'nightmare'.

He said: 'It's a disaster. Everyone objected because we knew it would deter customers coming. The council went ahead anyway.

'There's been no increase in cycling or people walking. It's a council cash cow.'

Enfield Council insists it conducted a 'comprehensive engagement process' and adjusted the scheme following feedback and a safety audit. 

A spokesman said 'the majority' of PCNs are paid within two weeks at the lower £65 rate, so total income over the last year was significantly lower than the maximum possible amount.