4,600 fines issued in seven weeks of Mill Road bridge restrictions in Cambridge
More than 4,600 fines have been issued in just under two months to drivers breaching the bus gate on Mill Road bridge in Cambridge.
In the busiest week, fines were being issued at the equivalent of more than five every hour around the clock, seven days a week.
The bus gate restricts who can travel over the bridge and those ignoring the rules risk a £70 fine, which is reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service has now indicated that an average of about 95 drivers a day are caught by the Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras.
The data suggests that if the rate of drivers breaching the restrictions continued, the bus gate could generate at least £1.2million a year in fines.
Cambridgeshire County Council agreed last year to issue a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to install the bus gate on the bridge.
It was the second time the authority had agreed to issue a TRO after the first was quashed following a legal challenge.
The restrictions close the bridge to all motor vehicles, except for local buses, taxis, emergency services, Blue Badge holders registered vehicles, vehicles in a disabled tax class and vehicles on the council’s permitted vehicles list.
Those who fit into one of the exemption categories still have to apply to the council for a bus gate exemption.
The bus gate is designed to improve the road for pedestrians and cyclists, who are allowed to cross the bridge, while easing the route for public transport.
When first introduced, drivers who ignored the signs and breached the restrictions were issued with warning notices but not actual fines.
Data show 5,657 warning Penalty Charge Notices were issued to drivers in this period, from the end of January to 10 March.
The council began issuing fines from 11 March although enforcement was temporarily suspended for two days due to emergency work to fix a burst water main in the area, with fines resuming on 13 March.
In the first full week of its operation, commencing March 16, there were 857 fines issued.
And in the first seven weeks of the bus gate being fully operational, 4,677 fines were issued.
If all these were paid, it means the county council would have received between £163,695 and £327,390 in the period.
As more drivers become accustomed to the bus gate, the number of fines might be expected to decline. But if the same rate were to continue over the course of a year, it would mean 34,743 fines being issued – raising between £1,216,005 and £2,432,010.
In the busiest week so far, from 30 March, 887 fines were issued – the equivalent of 5.3 an hour, around the clock.
Cllr Alex Beckett, chair of the highways and transport committee at the county council, said: “Mill Road bridge is open to buses, those walking, wheeling and cycling, emergency services, taxis, and vehicles that are exempt, such as those being driven by blue badge holders.
“Mill Road is the centre of a community. We want it to be a more enjoyable, safer place to visit and to encourage more people to come into the area.
“Reducing motorised through traffic and installing the bus gate will help achieve this.
“What’s important is that we now move forward with developing plans for public realm improvements supporting local businesses and allowing Mill Road to thrive.
“Nobody wants to be fining people, which is why we carried out a phased approach to the bus gate restriction; this started in December last year.
“We wanted to allow people time to get used to it and encourage drivers not to drive over the bridge.”
Consultations found majority support for the bus gate. But the restrictions remain controversial, with some traders saying takings are down as a result and their livelihoods are at risk.
A second court challenge from campaigners to the TRO is due to be heard on 10 June.
And the newly-elected Conservative mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, has begun a petition on the bus gate and vowed to get it reopened.
Mr Bristow, who leads the Combined Authority, has said he will push the council to reverse its decision.
Meanwhile, the group Mill Road 4 People, which supports the bus gate, has called for investment in the street and published its proposals to upgrade it.
Fines issued to drivers breaching Mill Road bus gate
Week commencing 09/03/2025
Inbound: 176
Outbound: 188
Total: 364
W/C 16/03/2025
Inbound: 409
Outbound: 448
Total: 857
W/C 23/03/2025
Inbound: 278
Outbound: 295
Total: 573
W/C 30/03/2025
Inbound: 421
Outbound: 466
Total: 887
W/C 06/04/2025
Inbound: 329
Outbound: 365
Total: 694
W/C 13/04/2025
Inbound: 302
Outbound: 403
Total: 705
W/C 20/04/2025
Inbound: 244
Outbound: 353
Total: 597
