Council chiefs have been accused of missing out on £30,000 by waiving fines issued to motorists ignoring a pedestrianised zone.
Broad Street in Aberdeen was closed to cars as part of a major £3.2million part-pedestrianisation, meaning it is now only open to buses, cyclists and walkers.
But despite the high profile of the project, and the signs erected at both ends of the street, hundreds of drivers continue to flout the ban every month.
Nearly 7,000 motorists have been fined since the controversial ban was introduced in August 2018.
With the road closed off from late November for the Christmas Village, the average number of fines issues each month is 486 – with a high of 902 in September 2018.
If paid within a fortnight, the penalty is £30 but rises to £60 if paid later.
Some 4,456 fines were paid at £30 and 535 at £60, meaning the council has raked in £165,780 since the ban.
A total of 541 are considered “outstanding” but 1,280 have been waived.
If council bosses had collected these fines, at £60, it would add up to £76,800 and the outstanding figure tops £30,000.
Last night, Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart asked why the council – which made £41million of cuts and savings this year and is facing £38million more next year – had not pursued more of the fines.
He said: “It’s farcical that tens of thousands of pounds of fines are unaccounted for here. I think a lot of people will be asking questions about why nearly one in five fines that have been issued appear to have been waived.
“When you add in the more than £30,000 in outstanding fines as well, these numbers should be raising alarm bells for those in the council.
“The fact that hundreds of cars are still going along Broad Street every month is also worrying and it will add to the fears of those who have raised safety concerns about part-pedestrianisation.”
During the debate around the future of the street, safety fears were repeatedly raised that allowing buses and bikes could cause confusion and endanger pedestrians – especially those with sight or hearing issues.
A council spokesman said: “This appears to be an issue caused by a small minority of drivers who don’t appear to appreciate the significance of the statutory ‘route for use by buses and pedal cycles only’ signs which are clearly visible to approaching drivers.
“This signage is used in cities nationwide and can be observed at other locations in Aberdeen and the onus is really on drivers to be familiar with it. While it is feasible to install additional signs, this would introduce unnecessary street clutter at a time when a national drive is under way to reduce the amount of signs on the road network, particularly in city centres.
“Importantly, Broad Street is a public space with a recently-enhanced aesthetic appeal which would only be reduced by the introduction of additional signs.
“On the basis that all drivers should be alert to the signs and regulations used on the road network, further signage is not justified.
“With regard to fines, appeals are based on a set list of criteria which can be found on our website. Successful appeals and subsequent cancellations will obviously result in a discrepancy between tickets issued and fines collected.”
Emergency services responding to a call are exempt from the ban.
