Camrose Avenue: Council makes £1.8m in driving fines from one road

About 34 fines a day are issued to motorists driving through the bus gate

A north London council has made £1.8m from driving fines on one road over two years, figures reveal.

More than 24,500 fines have been handed out on Camrose Avenue, which runs from the A5109 to Taunton Way in Harrow, averaging out as 34 issued a day.

Harrow Council said vehicles driving through a bus lane was the cause of the bulk of the fines.

The council made £13m in total across Harrow, the Local Democracy Reporting Service found.

Data from a Freedom of Information request showed 42% of tickets issued and 47% of all money made by the council for driving fines over the two years comes from just 10 roads across the borough.

BBC Radio London reporter Helen Hoddinott said the fines on Camrose Avenue in Edgware, north London, happen at a small stretch of a residential road where the lane splits for about 10 metres and only buses are allowed on the bus lane to enable them to pull into the bus stop.

She explained that only vehicles that can squeeze into the very narrow barriers in the middle of the road are allowed through, in order to slow traffic and stop any wide vehicles, like lorries, from coming along the road.

Despite it being signposted, many drivers are caught out on the stretch of road in Harrow

"The bus gate is signposted and most drivers are fully aware of it, queuing up for their turn to go through the narrow barriers but others haven't been so lucky and I have seen a number of people drive straight into it," she said.

"They realise at the last minute what they've done and have to try and reverse out."

One driver who had to do just that was Nicky, who told the BBC: "I was just about to go in the bus lane because it's so confusing, you can't really tell where the road splits. I stopped right on time.

"I think I got a fine once because I didn't see it but cameras are all around, you have no escape. I think it's very misleading, a bit of a blink and you'll miss it moment for drivers."

Fines related to driving offences in Harrow range between £60 and £130 depending on the severity of the traffic violation. It can be reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days, but the charge can increase by 50% if not paid within 28 days.

In a statement, Harrow Council said: "Anyone that drives through this bus lane risks getting a fine - that is the law. The signage is clear and valid according to the law."

The council said restrictions had been in place for more than 40 years to calm traffic and manage access to the bus stops.

Additional reporting by Grant Williams, Local Democracy Reporting Service.