The review should be carried out by independent traffic experts, not associated with Glasgow City Council (GCC) or Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

The review should assess the adequacy of signage, the appropriateness of the hours of operation and the dates enforced (eg currently bus lanes are enforced on Christmas and New Year’s Day when no buses are in operation). It should determine on each lane where video cameras are used to “....improve the flow of traffic on congested stretches and improve the reliability of bus journeys” and where, as many residents believe, they are used simply to raise revenue for the city.

Where the review determines penalty charge notices (PCN) have been given out inappropriately because of poor signage, inappropriate time of operation, or for other reasons, its should propose a system of reimbursing drivers who have received such notices.


Some of the reasons for the review are:

1. Glasgow is known as and promotes itself as a friendly city, but inappropriate enforcement of bus lanes causes distress and expense to residents and visitors; this will be especially true this year when hosting the Commonwealth Games where visitors are not familiar with the location or time of operation of the bus lanes.


2. While most people support the purposed of bus lanes, inappropriate camera-enforcement of the lanes has resulted in a loss of trust in Glasgow City Council to fairly administer them.


3. Other Scottish cities, including Edinburgh, have carried out reviews of their camera-enforced bus lanes resulting in eliminating use of cameras on certain routes, revising inappropriate time of operation and reimbursing some drivers.

4. An independent transportation expert has pointed out that significant revenue production from a bus lane is an indication that it needs to be reviewed because it is “...likely to be an issue with signage or markings.”

5. In the past year GCC issued 101,187 fines for camera-enforced bus lanes and took nearly £2.5 million from drivers.