Almost 200 drivers fined for using the same road

Exchange Street in Norwich was closed to drivers during the day for more than three years

Almost 200 drivers were fined after they used a pedestrianised city centre street, a freedom of information (FOI) request showed.

Exchange Street in Norwich was closed to traffic between 10:00 and 16:00 GMT, seven days a week, between July 2020 and November 2023.

The scheme angered some business owners and taxi drivers who said they were forced to make detours around the city, but it was welcomed by cycling groups and disability campaigners.

Norfolk County Council said it reopened Exchange Street following concerns about congestion and drivers flouting the rules.

An FOI request submitted by the BBC to Norfolk Police found that during its closure, 188 drivers were issued a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for illegally using the road.

Of those FPNs, 182 were issued in 2023 and 32 remained unpaid.

Officers also caught 15 other drivers who committed offences which included not wearing a seat belt, using a mobile phone at the wheel and having no insurance.

Drivers often faced long queues outside City Hall

In June, local businesses said the closure caused traffic issues for surrounding roads.

Parts of St Giles Street, St Peters Street and Bethel Street often became gridlocked during busy periods, they said.

In November, Graham Plant, the county council’s Conservative cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport said "a thousand cars a day were not complying" with the closure and that it was "becoming financially unviable" to maintain.

The road was subsequently reopened on 18 November.