CALLS have been made to waive fines to thousands of motorists caught by one of Scotland's most lucrative traffic cameras after it emerged new signage has resulted in a dramatic cut in violations over four years.
The camera in Glassford Street, Glasgow had been producing 340 tickets a day on average to motorists who stray into its bus lane bringing in in £1.2million in its first year.
But official data reveals that as of last year that had been cut to just 21 after new warning notices were installed following complaints existing signs were inadequate.
BEFORE
AFTER
The device, which four years ago was one of 11 located in and around the city centre, had been responsible for one in four £60 fines handed out to errant motorists.
But angry motorists who had been caught out due to what they saw as inadequate signs, meaning some were inadvertently turning from the NCP car park in the road into the bus lane, helped pave the way for better signs.
Glasgow port chaplain, John Burleigh has tried in vain for nearly five years to have a parking ticket overturned - despite his suggestions for "proper" signs appearing to have been taken on board by Glasgow City Council.
Glassford Street is a one-way system with an oncoming bus lane running northwards from Argyle Street to Ingram Street. The camera accounted for 44,657, or 24%, of all the fines issued four years ago.
This was almost 20,000 more fines than the second most-abused bus lane, in Cathedral Street, which resulted in 25,298 penalties over the same period.
He said: "I can't believe this situation. The council has allowed all these [fines], and yet there were no alarm bells ringing that something might be wrong.
"It would be a nice gesture to waive the fines in the light of my case that highlighted the inadequate signage. Now the signage is improved and very effective."
He is planning to lodge a complaint with the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission over the adjudicator of the Parking and Bus Lane Tribunal for Scotland who turned down his latest appeal. He says she failed to take into account official data that showed the slump in the numbers caught out by bus lane as a result of the new signs.
He had turned right from the NCP multi-storey car park on Glassford Street onto the bus lane in error, saying that he saw no warning signs.
He did a u-turn in the road after realising it was a bus lane to get out of it, but still got fined.
Mr Burleigh even sent the council diagrams of where new warning signs should be so that others like him could not be caught out. Soon new signage was installed, and he believes it was a result of his suggestions.
A subsequent survey carried out by NCP in November 2015 during peak hours found that of around 200 vehicles exiting the car park between 5pm and 6.30pm over one week, all turned left as they were supposed to, appearing to see the new signs.
But Stephen Sawers, Glasgow City Council customer operations manager told Mr Burleigh in May, 2014 that while new signs were installed, and new road markings were painted by March, 2014 he was "satisfied that there was clear signage and markings in place at the time of the alleged contravention to ensure that a motorist would be informed of the bus lane at this location".
Mr Burleigh says the only sign was a no-right-turn sign "hidden" by darkness 20 feet up and well above the exit to the car park. After the incident the signs were brought down into a motorist's line of sight.
Mr Burleigh said after having his latest review refused late last month, he decided to pay the £60 fine and take his complaint to the SLCC in the hope that a new adjudicator could look at the case.
The adjudicator decided that the changes to the signage "does not necessarily mean that it was inadquate in the first place".
Mr Burleigh said: "The reason there is a drop in contraventions is that I asked them to implement signage that would improve the situation. There is no convictions now as a result of people coming out of the car park at Glassford Street,"
"To say then that the signage was not inadequate beggars belief."
He said he had considered a judicial review but said: "What chance have you got if you pay up to £30,000 going to the High Court and still possibly lose. It's too expensive.
"I feel the adjudicator has not shown proper justice or due dilligence to the application and has erred in a big way. That's what my lawyer has told me."
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