Thousands fined for driving in bus lane

More than 70,000 drivers have been fined for driving along a stretch of road in Kent.

Mount Pleasant Road in Tunbridge Wells has generated 71,836 penalty charge notices since April 2023, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request that the BBC submitted to the council.

Other than buses, taxis and bicycles, vehicles are banned from driving on the road between 09:00 and 18:00 BST.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) said the restrictions aimed to make the town a “more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists”.

People driving between Church Road and Monson Road junctions between the restricted hours could receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in the post.

According to the FOI, 16,131 motorists have successfully appealed their fines after raising concerns about the road’s signage.

Chris Calvo, who lives nearby, said he had been caught twice as the signs were “pretty unclear”.

“I’m not surprised so many people have been fined as it’s not very clear on the approaching roads that you shouldn’t go through that small section,” he said.

Another Tunbridge Wells resident, Eliza Grant, said: “Only a couple of days ago I saw one car perform a three-point turn after driving down Monson Road as they suddenly realised they were about to enter the restricted zone.”

TWBC said it was working with the public and listening to feedback with Kent County Council (KCC), which had recently upgraded the signage to help raise the public’s awareness of the restrictions in place.

Amanda Humphrey lives close by and although she doesn’t drive herself, said the number of people she knew who had received a fine was “unbelievable”.

“There’s lots of pedestrian crossings in the town centre so it doesn’t really make a difference to me.

“I don’t see the point in closing off that little piece of road other than to make our lives more difficult.”

A spokesperson for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said: “Significantly fewer cars have passed through the public realm bus lane restriction on Mount Pleasant Road in recent months which we hope is making the town centre a more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

“We strongly urge anyone who has received a Penalty Charge Notice to use the appeals procedure if they feel there are circumstances that justify cancelling the penalty charge.”