Sheffield traffic: Motorist admits driving through city centre bus gate - but asks why it charged him twice

A visitor to Sheffield wants to know why he has been fined twice for entering a controversial bus gate in the city centre when he only drove through it once.

Hertfordshire man Steve Fisher says he came back to Sheffield for the first time in 20 years on June 15 for a work trip – and admits some of the road changes might have “caught him out” after he was billed for entering the newly-installed Arundel Gate bus gate.

The restriction, which was unveiled on the major city centre route in March, snaps any vehicle that travels northbound further than the Novotel and fines them £70. Between June 3 – 30, over 1,000 motorists were hit by penalties for entering the gate, raking in more than £36,000 for the council.

All this Mr Fisher accepts – except for the fact he has been billed twice for driving up Arundel Gate once.

In fact, in the separate two penalty charge notices he received in the post, the timestamps on the photos given in evidence show they were taken only a second apart.

Steve told The Star: “And I thought I was keeping a look out for all the restrictions.

“I don’t get to see Sheffield a huge amount. It was my first time visiting in 20 years. I’ve always liked the North though, it’s very welcoming.

“I got a letter in the post a few weeks after visiting saying I had been fined. I have no recollection of going through the bus gate, but it’s hard to argue.

“Then a few days later I got a second letter. I thought it was just for the same one, but when I looked closer the PCN number was different. Hopefully it will be recognized for the mistake it is.”

Steve says he has not paid either of the PCNs yet and has queried them both – one because it was “clearly” issued in error, and the other while he asks the council to show where the gate started and if there is a clear way to turn around on Arundel Gate beforehand.

The bus gate was introduced on March 20 by the city council is a bid to cut air pollution and create high-quality public space to “drive investment and redevelopment.”

Councillor Joe Otten, chairman of the council’s waste and street scene policy committee, says 1,940 no-fee warning notices were before June 3, at which penalties of £70 at a time were then introduced.

In the 27 days since the fines began, 1,026 drivers have been snared – an average of 38-a-day – reportedly raising £36,085.

The city council has also revealed the fines are £70, £10 more than the public and some councillors, including Lib Dem leader Shaffaq Mohammed, had believed.

The council’s website does not state the amount charged – and, at time of writing, neither does it show that a bus gate is now in place on Arundel Gate, only that a bus lane is in operation.

The bus gate bans all traffic except buses, taxis and private hire cars, from driving northbound beyond the Novotel hotel at 50 Arundel Gate.