BREAKING NEWS: #York Council "Not in Position to Answer" if #LendalBridge & #Coppergate Fines Still Being Issued http://t.co/Da2BI4siPf
— Minster FM (@minsterfm) April 4, 2014
York Council fines income from Lendal Bridge/Coppergate tops £2 million
Lendal bridge without traffic
The York Council has today published answers to questions raised at its last meeting.
In a response to Cllr Ann Reid, Cllr Merrett admits that the Council has banked over £2 million from PCNs issued to drivers.
The Council claims “only 2 appeals have been successfully contested” against the charge although it admits that many appeals had “not been contested by the Council.
The full response to the question posed can be read here.
Lendal Bridge – camera use suspended?
Claims have been made that the use of the ANPR cameras, to enforce traffic restrictions on Lendal Bridge and Coppergate, has been suspended.
The Council would have had little choice but to do this as, if having received independent advice that their use was unlawful, the Council could have faced maladministration claims from any drivers who received PCNs.
The Council have refused to say whether PCNs have ben issued over the last 2 days using ANPR evidence.
The Council have, however, said that the traffic order has not been revoked and the signage is still visible. That means that a uniformed police officer could, in theory, try to enforce the restrictions.
The traffic adjudicator yesterday also highlighted other flaws in the Councils management of the restrictions, so any PCN would be likely to be rescinded on appeal.
The Council Leader has now belatedly decided to blame Council officials for the fiasco.
He has asked the Chief Executive to undertake an internal review the matter, describing the Councils actions as “not to a standard that I would expect”.
Given that the Chief Executive and Council Leader work hand in hand on a daily basis this particular piece of political camouflage is unlikely to fool anyone.
It is reminiscent of the comments made in Labour party Emails earlier in the year when they sought to distance themselves from the unpopular plans
An all party scrutiny committee should – meeting in public – undertake a proper review of what went wrong on a project that has seen the City being ridiculed across the whole country.
In the meantime the Lendal bridge trial should be suspended. The cameras in Coppergate should be switched off at least until they can be proven to be lawful. Enforcement of restrictions there should once again rest with the police.
Meanwhile the Lib Dem Leader says that the Council has “lost control of events”
Lendal Bridge and Coppergate traffic restrictions – York Council acted unlawfully
Call for resignations at Council
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for York’s Labour Council it has.
Reports are coming in that the governments independent adjudicator has ruled that fines issued using ANPR cameras on both Lendal Bridge and Coppergate are unenforceable.
The consequences for the Council which has raised around £1 million from fines levied in both locations are likely to be far reaching. Any driver who chooses to appeal against the fine is now likely to have the charge refunded.
In some cases the Adjudicator has the power to order the Council to pay the appellants costs.
In the main, the adjudicator has criticised the signage used to advertise both orders.
He also concludes that Lendal Bridge could not reasonably be regarded as a “bus lane” given the number of exemptions given by the Council.
We have said all along that the Council closed the wrong bridge, in the wrong year and using the wrong method of enforcement.
They compounded their mistakes by failing to consult properly and by relying on inadequate signage.
The Cabinet members with responsibility for the scheme should now resign.
The ANPR cameras should be switched off immediately.
A more measured approach to improving transport systems in York in the future is required.
The full test case adjudication result can be downloaded by clicking here
Lendal Bridge – the saga continues
According to information released by the Council yesterday a decision on the future of the access restrictions on Lendal Bridge will be taken at a meeting being held on 6th May.
However many items on the Councils Forward Programme of decision debates are subsequently put back – some indefinitely.
The Council’s web site has been very “flaky” over the last few weeks with many residents complaining about difficulty in accessing the background papers for meetings with some pages simply “freezing” for long periods of time.
Lendal Bridge in 1868, five years after it was first opened. To pay for the costs of constructing the bridge, a toll of two pence per (horse drawn) vehicle was charged until 1894. A £60 charge was reintroduced by York’s Labour Council in August 2014
However the Council has so far failed to supply the month 6 progress report on their web site. This was information that they promised to regularly update.
Some may think that this suggest some “cleansing” of the data is already underway.
Nor have the Council published the results of its survey of residents opinion or details of the “public opinion poll” which they announced earlier in the month
The first debate and vote on the future of Lendal bridge will come at the Council meeting taking place on Thursday 27th March. The Liberal Democrats will propose that the ANPR cameras are switched off immediately.
They will also be pressing Cllr Merrett to answer thee question that he evaded at the Council meeting held in December.
The question asks for information on,
“a) The number of appeals lodged each week since the beginning of August against PCNs issued for contraventions of traffic restrictions on Coppergate and Lendal Bridge
b) The number of appeals which have been successful each week
c) The total revenue that the Council has received so far from PCNs following the introduction of the new restrictions on Coppergate and Lendal Bridge
d) The weekly changes to journey times (all modes of transport) on each arterial road and on each section of the inner ring road since the introduction of the new traffic restrictions
e) The numbers of accidents reported on roads in the City centre comparing the last 6 months with the equivalent period in 2012/13
a) The latest air quality monitoring reports for key sites in and close to the City centre, including the Leeman Road area, and comparing these with last year?”
Lendal Bridge/Coppergate camera fine victims now exceed 60,000.
60,414 drivers have been issued with penalty notices for driving on Lendal Bridge and Coppergate since new restrictions were introduced in August.
Of these 46,323 were caught by cameras on Lendal Bridge while 14,091 were photographed on Coppergate.
The numbers being caught in both locations increased towards the end of January.
The complete figures can be downloaded by clicking here.
Meanwhile the media are reporting that the Council has received £1.3 in fine income.
As suggested on this site some months ago, it appears that the Council lacks the resources – and perhaps the will – to resist many of the appeals that have been lodged.
The Lendal Bridge 5 monthly monitoring report has also now been published. Click here.
With less traffic in January, Park and Ride buses show little change in their journey times.
Traffic volumes are, however, up on Foss Islands Road, Water End, Shipton Road and Fulford Road.
The Lendal Bridge trial is scheduled to conclude at the end of February.
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Labour Councillors agreed tonight (Tuesday) to extend the use of the ANPR cameras to other routes including bus lanes.
It expects to bring in an additional £150,000 a year in fine income.
More invisible policemen coming to York? “Big Brother” fears!
ANPR camera use to be extended
The Council has announced that it will use camera cars to enforce zig zag parking restrictions outside schools.
This is likely to be of limited value at some schools where some parents park on yellow lines, verges and block access driveways.
Use of such camera cars has been controversial in other towns and cities but the vehicle may give some comfort to schools and their immediate neighbours.
Ironically the DfT is just completing its public consultation on car parking. One of the options being considered is to limit the use of CCTV cameras near schools!
More significantly in York, Labour Councillors are now proposing to extend the use of number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in the City.
ANPR cameras have been responsible for identifying over 50,000 drivers on Coppergate and Lendal Bridge, with fines totalling around £1 million already issued.
Clearly this potential cash cow has proved to be attractive to the Council.
It will decide later today to introduce camera enforcement of more bus lanes later this year with a target income of £50,000.
It is also budgeting to receive an additional £100,000 in 2015 from the “Further introduction of ANPR enforcement measures across the City where network congestion can be improved”.
The budget papers published by the Council make no mention of how much revenue they except to raise from the continued use of the Coppergate (or Lendal Bridge) cameras during the next financial year.
Latest Lendal Bridge report reveals 3000 drivers a week still being fined
No significant change to Park and Ride bus service journey times as total number fined climbs to 45,000.
The Council have now published an updated report on their web site assessing the impact of the Lendal Bridge closure.
Traffic on Lendal bridge after closure
Any hopes that the information would be objective and impartial are quickly dispelled as the report resorts to sloganising “York remains very much open for business” whatever that is supposed to mean.
The figures for Park and Ride show small increases in the number of passengers (following a trend evident for the last 6 years over which passenger growth on the services has been sustained each year).
Some services show small reductions in journey times since the Lendal Bridge restrictions were introduced. Others – like the link to the Designer Centre – show increases in journey times.
This rather confirms what is so obvious to many – that traffic congestion, on alternative routes to Lendal, is continuing to increase.
No information is provided on normal “stage carriage” bus services.
There was a 10% increase in traffic volumes on Clifton bridge when comparing November 2013 with the same month last year. Increased traffic volumes on Foss Islands Road are also evident.
The report makes no attempt to assess increases in journey times or costs for drivers. There is no information about pollution levels
The Council has also updated the tables showing the number of Penalty Charge Notices issued to drivers on Lendal Bridge and in Coppergate.
The numbers fined on Coppergate doubled to 595 during the St Nicholas Fayre week.
The number issued on Lendal Bridge is still regularly in excess of 2500 a week.
70% of the tickets issued are to visitors to the City
| Lendal: | |
| 02-08 Sept (4 days enforcement, commenced Wednesday | 1675 |
| 09-15 Sept 2015 (6 days enforcement, because of the Skyride event) | 2015 |
| 16-23 Sept (5 days enforcement, cameras updating) | 1766 |
| 23 – 29 September 2,762 PCNs issued (6 days enforcement) | 2762 |
| 30 Sep – 6 October 1,885 PCNs issued (5 days enforcement) | 1885 |
| 7 – 13 October 2,487 PCNs issued (5 days enforcement) | 2487 |
| 14 – 20 October 3,640 PCNs issued | 3640 |
| 21 – 27 October 3,879 PCNs issued | 3879 |
| 28 Oct – 3 November 4,098PCNs issued | 4098 |
| 4 – 10 November 1,921 PCNs issued | 1921 |
| 11 – 17 November 3,172 PCNs issued | 3172 |
| 18 – 24 November 2,801 PCNs issued | 2801 |
| 25 Nov – 2 December 2,553 PCNs issued | 2553 |
| Coppergate: | |
| 15-18 August (4 days enforcement, commenced Wednesday) | 1085 |
| 19-25 August | 1741 |
| 26-01 Sept | 880 |
| 02-08 Septd | 850 |
| 09-15 Sept (6 days enforcement, because of the Skyride event) | 841 |
| 16-22 Sept (5 days enforcement, cameras updating and gas works commenced) | 324 |
| 23 – 29 September 405 PCNs issued (6 days enforcement) | 405 |
| 30 Sep – 6 October 345 PCNs issued (5 days enforcement) | 345 |
| 7 – 13 October 593 PCNs issued (5 days enforcement) | 593 |
| 14 – 20 October 869 PCNs issued | 869 |
| 21 – 27 October 755 PCNs issued (6 days enforcement) | 755 |
| 28 Oct – 3 November 416PCNs issued | 416 |
| 4 Nov – 10 November 146 PCNs issued # | 146 |
| 11 – 17 November 240 PCNs issued # | 240 |
| 18 – 24 November 251 PCNs issued # | 251 |
| 25 Nov – 2 December 595 PCNs issued | 595 |
– Of all PCNs reviewed, up to Monday 8 December 2013, there was a 30:70 split on YO and non-YO postcodes.
# – only one camera operational.
Shopper numbers down 10% in City Centre.
285,000 fewer people have visited the Parliament Street area since new traffic restrictions introduced in August.
The number of visitors to the City has dropped dramatically since the new restrictions were introduced on Coppergate and on Lendal Bridge.
The latest figures have been released by the York Council following a Freedom of Information request
In total, footfall cameras on Parliament Street recorded 2.695 million people between 1st August and the start of the St Nicholas Fayre on 28th November.
The equivalent figure for 2012 was 2.980 million, a fall of 10%.
Figures recovered over the 4 days of the St Nicholas Fayre although the concentration of footfall may have been influenced by the positioning of the market.
The figures are even more disappointing given the relatively good weather that we have experienced so far this autumn.
They confirm that the new restrictions are having a major adverse effect on the economic viability of many retailers in the City centre.
The Council has previously resisted calls for the restrictions to be suspended at least until the busy pre Christmas period is over.
- The detailed figures are:
- August 746,340 visitors (780,646 in 2012 – 4%)
- September 699,042 (798,182 – 12%)
- October 717,634 (775,144 – 7%)
- November 532,157 (646,226 -18%) to start of St Nicholas Fayre on 28th November
By contrast, in the first 7 months of the year, visitor numbers had fallen by a total of 5% with the decrease being blamed on a large increase in car parking charges.
A spreadsheet showing individual figures for each day can be found by clicking here.
A Council survey on residents and visitors reactions to the traffic restrictions can be found here
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/lendalsurvey
90% say “lift Lendal Bridge access restrictions”
click to enlarge
An overwhelming majority of residents have given the thumbs down to the current closure restrictions on Lendal Bridge.
Responding to a survey carried out by the Liberal Democrats, in the Dringhouses, Woodthorpe and Hob Moor areas, only 8% have said that the trial is a success.
90% want the restrictions to be removed.
A massive 95% say that traffic congestion in the City has got worse over recent months.
The results underpin the findings from other sources.
Over 35,000 penalty notices have been issued since the Lendal Bridge and Coppergate ANPR cameras were installed.
Stand and deliver
Labour adopt traditional approach to transport funding in York
The influential “Trip Advisor” web site has logged a large number of complaints from visitors who are vowing never to visit the City again.
A Facebook page has also been set up by opponents of the restrictions.
The Council leadership continue to maintain an air of lofty indifference to resident’s views prompting new calls for a referendum on the future of the restrictions.
An opportunity to test resident’s views, at a reasonable cost, will come on 22nd May when European Parliament elections are already scheduled to take place.
By then, however, some traders may have been forced to close as City centre shopper numbers continue to fall.
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There is no consolation for the Council’s Leadership from residents other responses to the survey.
88% say there is no justification for Labours plans to build on the Green Belt, while 80% remain opposed to a wide area 20 mph speed limit.
Most damming verdict comes from the 93% who believe that public service standards have got worse since Labour took office.
No one who has responded so far believes that standards have got better.