Council in major city forced to pay back £88k to over 1,000 drivers who were ‘incorrectly’ fined – are you due a refund?

A MAJOR traffic error has cost a local authority more than £88,000 to fix after it incorrectly fined thousands of drivers.

Edinburgh City Council issued over 1,000 penalties to drivers, with 884 tickets already paid, for using a bus lane during the summer.

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114 tickets are still open while only eight have been cancelled and six were written off, according to a Freedom of Information request.

The fines were given to drivers who used the bus lane on Lanark Road which traffic regulations usually prevented.

But the regulations on Lanark Road had expired on May 20 and were not replaced until June 17.

During this 28-day gap, thousands of drivers were slapped with incorrect penalties, with the council now forced to return the money it collected.

The council’s website details how bus lanes and bus gates in Edinburgh can only be used by certain vehicles at specific times.

Peak time bus lanes generally operate from 7.30am to 9.30am and 4pm to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.

During these times, only public service vehicles, taxis, motorcycles, pedal cycles and emergency service vehicles can use the lane.

If breached, motorists can receive a £100 charge if they drive in a bus lane or through a bus gate when they are not allowed.

But this fee can be reduced by half to £50 if the driver pays the charge within 14 days of receiving the penalty.

The council noted it was working on a process for issuing refunds for all payments.

It said it will be an “automatic, fully auditable process which will not require the customer to contact us”.

One city councillor who had been calling for the fines to be refunded said that residents contacted him to complain about being “erroneously fined.”

Jason Rust of the Scottish Conservatives said: “I am pleased that the council is taking action to quash the tickets.”

Meanwhile, Transport and Environment Committee Convener Stephen Jenkinson said he was sorry for “any inconvenience caused.”

He added: “We’re currently investigating this matter but I’d like to assure residents that anyone who has received a fine in error will either have it cancelled or be reimbursed.”

Last year, the council handed out 64,195 tickets for using a bus lane, generating £1.9million in revenue.

This was slightly less than the year before when the local authority issued 70,793 tickets, raking in over £2million.

From 15 April 2024, bus lane charge notices increased to £100 from their original £60 in a bid to add more deterrent measures.

24-hour bus lanes currently operate on Johnston Terrace, Bread Street, Inglis Green Road, Ocean Terminal, and on the A90 west of Barnton Junction.