Arundel Gate: Controversial Sheffield bus gate snared 40,017 drivers last year raising more than £1.8m
A controversial bus gate is still snaring more than 80 drivers a day 18 months after it was installed.
The Arundel Gate traffic restriction caught 2,578 people in October, earning Sheffield City Council £72,325 for the month.
In the last year, 40,017 motorists have been fined, raising £1,181,380. This makes it the most valuable bus gate in the city by far, a Freedom of Information request shows.
Installed in March 2023, it bans all traffic except buses, taxis and private hire cars from driving north towards Castle Square beyond the Novotel hotel.
The aim was to cut air pollution and speed up buses.
After an outcry, in October last year the authority installed huge red signs stating ‘Bus Gate Enforcement NOW STARTED’.
That month 167 drivers a day were fined.
Since then there has been a steady decline to a low of 73 a day in May 2024.
But the number is creeping up with more than 80 daily in September and October.
The penalty is £70, falling to £35 if paid within 21 days. The bus gate was made permanent in July last year.
At the time a council report stated: “Following the implementation of the bus gate at Arundel Gate in March 2023, the level of NO2 in the area has dropped by 27 per cent.
“This has brought the area within legal NO2 levels in 2023 - compared to the previous year, when it was not compliant.”