Stay out of bus lane or face a fine, says council

Motorists will be fined if they are caught in a new temporary bus lane, a council has said.

Hull City Council said the lane, from Guildhall Road to Dock Street, near Queens Gardens, is designed to keep services running smoothly while Drypool Bridge remains closed.

Drivers will be issued with a warning notice the first time they are caught in the lane. If caught again, a £35 fine will be issued. It will increase to £75 if it is not paid within two weeks.

Drypool Bridge was closed to all vehicles and pedestrians for repairs on 15 September and is expected to reopen in late November.

An automatic number plate recognition fixed camera is monitoring the bus lane, which will be operating at all times until Drypool Bridge reopens.

Drivers have been advised to divert around the area via Wilberforce Drive and George Street and vice versa.

Only buses, cycles, motorcycles, taxis and emergency vehicles are permitted to use the lane.

The council is asking people to use the temporary Holderness Road Park and Ride and the Priory Park and Ride during the bridge’s closure.

In March last year, the authority also introduced AI technology to improve traffic management throughout the city.

Kerry Ryan, head of transport and traffic management, said: “All these mitigations are in place to make sure that we are supporting the buses to get in and out of the city centre with as little impact as possible to the increased congestion on the roads.”

Ms Ryan said she hoped the changes would encourage people to “shift out of their cars, onto the bus, which then overall reduces the level of congestion on the roads”.