Sheffield bus gate fourth highest earner in the country
A Sheffield bus gate is the fourth highest earner in the country, new figures show.
The restriction on Arundel Gate in the city centre triggered 21,844 fines - earning £674,126 - between January and November last year, according to The Times.
Only three bus gates, in Lancashire, Manchester and Oxford, raked in more money.
Some 85 councils responded to a request for information from the newspaper.
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The Arundel Gate bus gate was installed in March 2023. It bans all traffic except buses, taxis and private hire cars from driving east towards High Street beyond the Novotel hotel.
The aim is to cut air pollution and speed up bus journeys.
Drivers who enter the bus gate are fined £70, falling to £35 if paid within 21 days.
Initially, it attracted criticism for poor signage.
After an outcry, in October 2023 the authority installed red signs stating ‘Bus Gate Enforcement NOW STARTED’.
But some say they are still too vague, with some drivers claiming not to know what a bus gate is.
Two years ago The Star reported plans to install a roundabout outside the Novotel to make it easier for drivers to avoid the bus gate.
The latest document states: “We’ll replace footways either side of the Novotel entrance on Arundel Gate to make walking and wheeling easier.”
It adds: “We’ll also remove an island...at the Novotel entrance to make it easier for traffic other than buses or taxis to avoid the bus gate.
“We expect this phase of work to be finished in April 2026.”
Sheffield City Council was contacted for comment.
Last year it said air quality had improved since the Arundel Gate bus gate was launched and income is spent on highway maintenance and subsidising public transport.
Earlier this month, Arundel Gate was revealed as being among the top 10 most polluted roads in the country despite the bus gate and being in the Clean Air Zone.