Controversial 'cash cow' bus lane in Northampton finally has operating hours officially changed

New signs have gone up along the Weedon Road and St James' Road with the bus lane's new operating hours
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The operating times for a controversial 24/7 bus lane in Northampton have now changed.

New signs have gone up along the Weedon Road and St James' Road bus lane which say the lane has reverted to its 7.30am to 9.30am operating hours.

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West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) have been amending a traffic regulation order since December to legally change the bus lane's operating times.

The Weedon Road and St James' Road operating times have changed from 24/7 to between 7.30am and 9.30am everydayThe Weedon Road and St James' Road operating times have changed from 24/7 to between 7.30am and 9.30am everyday
The Weedon Road and St James' Road operating times have changed from 24/7 to between 7.30am and 9.30am everyday

The council said back in December that the change would take eight weeks, but it has taken double that amount of time.

Motorists are now allowed back into the lane outside of its active operating hours, which should prevent queues of single file traffic trying to get into the town centre.

WNC told this newspaper back in March that once the change is brought in, it would be 'publicised widely'.

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WNC has not yet publicly announced the change nor has it responded to this newspaper's request for comment. But the signs along the Weedon Road and St James' Road are now in place.

The bus lane previously had a 7.30am to 9.30am operating time before the council changed it in August 2020 in an attempt to promote 'more Covid-friendly' ways of travelling during the peak of the pandemic, which was effectively encouraging more people to cycle and use public transport.

Then, in February 2021, the council decided to implement a 24/7 enforcement camera outside of Westbridge Garage.

The camera's positioning caused public outcry as it would catch and fine motorists who were using the bus lane to undertake stationary cars waiting to turn right into the garage.

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WNC generated at least £1million from 35,000 motorists who were caught and fined for driving in the lane. Many residents called the scheme a 'cash cow' and a 'scam'.

After months and months of pressure and press coverage, WNC decided to switch the camera off in December and declare that it would be reverting to its previous operating hours.

And now, after around 600 days of the scheme initially being brought in in August 2020, it has been scrapped completely.