AN unpopular city centre bus lane is continuing to generate hundreds of thousands of pounds for Essex County Council despite it being in place for almost a decade.

Highways bosses began enforcing the bus lane, which prevents drivers from turning right into Queen Street, Colchester, from High Street, in October 2013.

Almost 30,000 drivers have been caught flouting the rules between May 2017 and April this year despite clear signposting and the existence of the bus lane being well known among regular city centre motorists.

A request made under the Freedom of Information Act by the Gazette reveals the 29,994 Penalty Charge Notices have drawn a whopping £712,361 into County Hall.

Gazette: Forbidden - dangerous U-turns in East Hill are now prohibitedForbidden - dangerous U-turns in East Hill are now prohibited

In the same period, 44 appeals were made to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, of which only eight were ruled in favour of the council.

In an attempt to make the restrictions clearer for drivers, Essex County Council has launched proposals including a “banned right turn” and “crossing amendments” in Queen Street.

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

A council spokesman said: “This supports the existing bus lane order - which will remain, allowing bus lane traffic to continue as it does now - to ensure that general traffic is clear that it cannot make the right turn manoeuvre from High Street into Queen Street.”

A traffic regulation order was introduced in 2020 which banned motorists from making dangerous U-turns in East Hill to turn left into Queen Street.

Those found breaching the order can now be investigated by Essex Police and prosecuted if caught making the manoeuvre.

Colchester Civic Society officer John Salmon, who campaigns on highways matters, criticised the “ineffective” bus gate.

Mr Salmon said: “I’d still like to see the bus gate removed. There’s a lot less traffic coming down High Street than there used to be, so its function is much less important than it once was.

“Its aim was to speed up the transit of park and ride buses and to reduce pollution, but the reduction of traffic in High Street must’ve achieved that, and drivers still perform U-turns in East Hill which deems the bus lane pointless.

“The drivers getting fines are paying for the privilege of taking the right turn and that will continue regardless of there being a no right turn sign or a bus gate.”