Warning period begins for bus gate flouters

The bus gate is in place on Mill Road bridge, which goes over the railway

Motorists who fail to abide by rules surrounding a new bus gate will now receive warnings - but no fines as yet, a council said.

The Mill Road bridge bus gate in Cambridge prohibits all motor vehicles except buses, the emergency services, taxis and blue badge holders' registered vehicles.

Work to install it was completed at the end of November, despite some disruption by protestors.

The restrictions are now in place, but Cambridgeshire County Council said those who flout the rules would only receive warnings for now, allowing them to get used to the gate, with fines not expected to be issued until March.

Protesters managed to delay work starting on the bridge for several nights last month

The council said it was starting with a "phased approach to the bus gate restriction".

In a statement, it said: "The Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) is now enforceable, and until the end of January we will be warning drivers, who are not exempt, not to drive over the bridge.

"We'll be monitoring with civil parking enforcement officers and signs will be displayed. This will be a warning period only - no fines or official warning notices will be issued.

"At the end of January, there will be a further warning period where non-exempt vehicles will receive warning notices only, and if they are exempt, will be encouraged to register online.

"Fines are not expected to come into effect until March."

Alex Beckett, chairman of the council's highways and transport committee, said: "Mill Road is such an important street to all of us and we all know how sensitive this project has been.

"In this extended warning period, we're going to fix the vandalised Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and further engage and communicate with local care providers.

"It will also allow additional time for drivers to get used to the restriction and give more time for those who are exempt to register."

There are currently six bus gates in Cambridge, including this one on Silver Street