Council puts up new Park Way bridge warning signs

In March this year, the Newbury Weekly News reported how the council had raked in £282,915 from 10,501 motorists since restrictions were introduced in November 2011 - with 329 of those successfully appealing against the fines.
Just last week, at a meeting of the council’s executive, it was revealed that 15 emergency service vehicles received bus lane penalty charge notices for using the bridge.
Although the subsequent appeals against the notices were successful, the figures prompted renewed calls from opposition councillors to review the signage.
Two new yellow signs have been put in the two car parks either side of the bridge and say ‘No passage over Park Way bridge’ followed by an arrow directing all traffic except buses, taxis and solo cycles away from it.
A spokesman for the council, Keith Ulyatt, confirmed that the signs were new, but could not give a specific date as to when they had been erected.
He added that the signs were erected in those locations with the sole purpose of directing traffic coming out of the car parks away from the bridge.
The council’s shadow portfolio holder for highways and transport, Keith Woodhams (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) described the new signage as a “major step in the right direction” - but insisted even more could be done to make it clearer to drivers.
He said: “It seems to me that after a great deal of pressure over many months, the council has finally decided to respond to concerns about the amount of people fined for crossing the bridge.
“It is very welcome news and a major step in the right direction, but I still feel more could be done to make it clearer, particularly on the approach to the bridge where there is a proliferation of signage which can make it very confusing for motorists. Let’s hope that the amount of people fined drops now.”
Following last week’s executive meeting, Mr Woodhams accused the council of using the bridge as a money making scheme and ignoring the issue.
Those suggestions were rejected as “nonsense” by council leader Gordon Lundie.
The row escalated after the full extent of the type of vehicles which successfully appealed against their penalty charge notices were revealed.
It emerged that 129 mini buses and taxis and 71 vehicles hired by overseas drivers visiting the UK made up 200 of the 329 motorists who had their penalty charge notices cancelled.
A total of 64 fines where the registered keeper of the vehicle has incurred a second penalty charge notice that is issued before the first penalty charge notice has been received, have also been thrown out, while one appeal was allowed by the penalty traffic tribunal.
The total administrative cost to the council of processing the 2,694 bus lane penalty charge notices that were issued in 2013/14 was £3,405.
Earlier this week, Mr Lundie said: “I am continually surprised that this subject is even being debated and to say the council is using the bridge as an income stream is a ridiculous statement.
“Please keep running these stories, because eventually people will get the message that they are not meant to cross the bridge.
“We have said it time and time again and if people choose to ignore the signs then there isn’t much we can do.
“We could put a barrier up but that is just going to restrict access for those people who have legitimate reason for using the bridge.”