A local authority has collected almost £500,000 in penalties from motorists using a bus-only road section in the city over the past four years.

The number of fines issued on London Road in Brighton has risen, particularly for drivers heading towards the junction with York Place and St Peter’s Place who make a left turn into the bus gate at St Peter’s Place.

Bus gates, which are short stretches where only buses and permitted vehicles including taxis may travel, were installed at Marlborough Place, St Peters Place, St Georges Place and York Place in 2021.

A freedom of information request has shown that Brighton and Hove City Council issued 15,321 penalties to drivers wrongly entering the St Peter’s bus gate since it began operating.

The same request disclosed that the council received £478,672.31 from drivers entering this particular bus gate between 2021 and the end of 2025.

During 2024-25, this reached its highest point at £130,680, generated from 4,196 fines issued during that year.

Kevin Herriott, a resident of Hollingbury aged 73, was travelling along London Road last year and intended to turn right into Cheapside at the junction. Instead, he discovered the road was obstructed by barriers and had to turn left into the bus lane, an action that resulted in a penalty arriving at his home weeks afterward.

The 73-year-old described the arrangement as confusing and expressed strong displeasure when his appeal was dismissed.

Councillor Trevor Muten, who holds the transport and city infrastructure portfolio at Brighton and Hove City Council, explained that while receiving a fine can be irritating, these measures exist for a valid purpose and assist in keeping buses and other traffic flowing through a busy urban area.

The highest yearly total in recent times indicates that on average slightly more than ten vehicles daily received fines across the three locations monitored by cameras on London Road.

With around 11,000 car journeys made on London Road daily, equating to approximately 4 million annually, this means fewer than 0.1 per cent of vehicles using the road were penalised for illegally using a bus lane.

The council frequently examines its signage and will proceed with this practice, having previously added more signs than the legal minimum required.

Since the vast majority of drivers navigate the route without incorrectly entering a bus lane, the council is confident the current signage is adequate.

Anyone who receives a fine and considers it wrongly issued retains the right to appeal.