Transparency a must on various bus lane issues

I refer to your story "Bus lanes crackdown needs to be flexible" (Mercury, January 5).

I think that this is one of the most sensible headlines yet on the ongoing saga regarding bus lanes, and how events are happening or unfolding.

Because, at present, it seems to be a case of folly for the planners and councillors and a nightmare for motorists and pedestrians.

When more than 1,000 fines have been issued in late evenings or the hours that public transport is not available, then there must surely be something very wrong.

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Sir Peter Soulsby seems to suggest that a 24-hour restriction is a way of educating motorists, but to me it's another way of obtaining funds and not correcting the problems that have become evident in the way bus lanes are being administered or fully investigated.

Another article in the Mercury (January 2) was about 20,000 motorists being fined over a short period for using Charles Street and Causeway Lane bus lanes, which brought £450,000 into the council coffers.

This in itself is a set of alarming figures, which should raise further questions at high levels, because something must be very wrong here.

Either signage and pre-direction locations must be wrong – which might possibly mean that people cannot take alternative directions before the event and are then forced into committing an offence.

Either that or they are actually trying to ignore the regulations.

It has to be decided which of these suggestion or assumptions it has to be.

I note that a scrutiny committee has been set-up to look at the bus lane situation and I hope that this committee will make any findings and reports public and easily accessible for those interested.

I am sure quite a number of those being caught out would be very interested.

This scrutiny committee must take all bus lane locations throughout the city into consideration, including possible consultations with residents.

But whether this will be done, we the electorate, the public in general and motorists, will no doubt will need to wait and see.

As a further point of consideration, perhaps the powers-that-be can look at the Haymarket and Church Gate, because this seems to be a bit of a rat-run or staging point for a certain type of motorist.

The other month, I and a number of people in that area had a rather bad experience with a young racer, and not a police officer or Pcso in sight.

That incident was worthy of a fine, if there ever was one, and I am sure there have been other similar incidents that may or may have not gone reported.

Even the odd bus driver is not immune to a little inconsideration it those two areas.

Which brings me back to the decisions being made on the £5 million A426 bus route, and perhaps how some county councillors came to approve of the scheme.

Do any or all of these councillors know the actual route and its history, or was it a planning or political party decision based on pressure?

Whatever the case, those who made any decisions should be accountable to the public on how these decisions were made, and then perhaps the whole event can then be laid to rest, because at present, it would appear that more than 4,000 "no bus lane" signatures or protest meetings count for very little.

Transparency is a word we often hear, so let's have transparency on the issues raised.

Richard Murphy, Leicester.