Top Derby hotspot for bus lane fines

Picture: Ian Hodgkinson / Picture It Bus Lane in Derby Pictured Traffic Street

A busy city centre street is still the No 1 hotspot for bus lane fines in Derby.

Last year it was revealed that almost 20,000 motorists were fined for entering the Traffic Street bus lanes in 2024 – with the council making more than £700,000 from the fines.

Now, a new Freedom of Information request to Derby City Council states that Traffic Street remains top of the list for fines issued.

The data shows that more than 6,350 fines have been issued to drivers caught on camera on the busy road, close to the Royal Telegraph pub, between January 1 and June 30 this year (2026).

It also shows that the council has raised a total of £612,000 so far this year from fines issued for bus lane or bus gate offences across Derby.

A bus gate is a road or a section of it which only buses and authorised vehicles can go through. The Corporation Street restriction, which has seen more than 100,000 fines issued, is classed as a bus gate.

Meanwhile, a bus lane is marked by a solid, thick white line and the words “Bus Lane”.

Other notorious bus lanes and bus gates which have raised the council huge sums within the last few years include those at Phoenix Street, Siddals Road and Normanton Road.

Derby City Council states that the enforcement of bus lanes and bus gates aims to reduce congestion and pollution across the city.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “We are committed to creating a greener, more accessible, and sustainable city for everyone. The enforcement of bus lanes forms part of our wider strategy to support the National Bus Strategy which aims to reduce congestion and pollution and offers people more reliable and sustainable transport.

“Ideally, we wouldn’t generate income from Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), and people would follow the rules associated with bus lanes to make our city a better place for all. Where we do generate revenue from PCNs, the surplus income is used to improve highways and transport within the city.”

Last year taxi driver Lee Roach said he regularly sees drivers taking the right-hand bus lane on Traffic Street when approaching the Bradshaw Way roundabout.

He said: “I see someone entering it all the time and I’m thinking ‘you’re going to be fined, mate’.”