Derby city centre bus lane camera catches 37 drivers in one hour

The council installed the camera in 2020

Derby City Council has said a controversial bus lane is a success after it emerged it caught 37 drivers in an hour.

Figures have shown the device in Corporation Street issued the £70 fines between 12:00 GMT and 13:00 on Tuesday January 23.

The number of fines was revealed by a Freedom of Information request by a member of the public.

The authority said the camera was providing "critical benefits".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said if all the charges were valid, and none went through an appeal process, the camera would likely have generated more than £1,000 for the council in that 60 minutes.

The camera was installed in 2020 and enforces the bus and taxi only route between 07:00 and 19:00.

A spokesperson for the council said: "There are no plans to remove the restriction on Corporation Street, which has successfully reduced traffic in the area.

"The scheme is a key part of removing unnecessary traffic from the city centre and reducing air pollution, creating an improved environment for pedestrians and for the use of adjacent public spaces.

"It also has critical benefits for public transport, improving journey reliability and punctuality, removing the historic congestion, and meeting the priorities of the National Bus Strategy.

"Any revenue generated as a result of PCNs is used to directly improve highways and transport within the city."