Almost 1,800 motorists caught driving through a controversial traffic calming measure have refused to pay mounting fines and had their cases referred to debt collectors.
The Bedford Road bus gate opened last summer, and 23,280 fines were issued to people filmed passing through it during its first year in operation.
Aberdeen City Council has raked in almost £685,000 from the system, which allows only buses and cyclists to pass a stretch of Bedford Road beside Aberdeen University.
But figures obtained by the Press and Journal through freedom of information legislation reveal that the council has had to task sheriff officers with recovering money owed on 1,773 occasions.
The UK’s leading road safety charity yesterday called on the council to “urgently” review the system, claiming the number of people still being snared by cameras indicated that better signposting was required.
But a council spokeswoman last night insisted that the signage was appropriate and dismissed any calls for the system to be reviewed.
The bus gate was introduced to stop motorists using Bedford Road as a through road after the Third Don Crossing, or Diamond Bridge, was opened.
The peak month for fines was last September – when 3,625 motorists were snared by the static camera.
Numbers steadily declined from that point on, dipping to a record low of 949 this July, before spiking back up to 1,285 in August.
The local authority offers offenders the chance to shell out only £30 if the sum is paid within 14 days of the fine being issued.
Over the gate’s first year in existence, the penalty was paid quickly to ensure a saving on 14,895 occasions.
Meanwhile, a penalty of £60 was paid 3,501 times.
But if the penalty is not paid within 28 days, then the sum owed increases to £90.
The I Am Roadsmart charity has previously criticised the council for its failure to give motorists sufficient advance warning before they reach the bus gate.
The group’s policy and research director, Neil Greig, said the latest figures showed that the measure needed to be scrutinised.
He said: “By this stage in its operation, we should be seeing a complete fall off of prosecutions as drivers learn how to deal with the bus gate.
“If the number of tickets issued remains high it simply underlines the urgent need for a review of signposting and information.
“Success for the bus gate should be measured by faster bus journeys and more bus users on the route, and not by tickets still being issued to drivers.
“Since the signs appear to meet the minimum standards required, I fear that the drivers contesting their fines are going to have a very hard time persuading the courts to dismiss their cases.”
A council spokeswoman said: “There has been a 44% decrease in the number of vehicles caught on camera going through the Bedford Road bus gate from August to August, and signage approaching the Bedford Road bus gate adheres to the required standard.
“The bus gate also prevents Bedford Road to the north becoming a rat run, reducing volumes and speeds of vehicle traffic.”
Former Mid-Formartine councillor, Allan Hendry, blasted the scheme as a “cash cow” when he was snapped driving through it and fined.
