A Tuebrook couple have revealed how they were spared a fine by Liverpool’s most profitable bus lane camera. Since it was opened officially in May 2025, a lane on Irvine Street, leading to Mount Vernon Road, close to the Royal Liverpool Hospital has caught out thousands of drivers.
It was revealed last month how almost 75,000 penalty charge notices (PCN) were issued to motorists caught out by the camera. Liverpool Council installed the lane and monitoring camera with the aim of improving the flow of public transport in what is a busy area.
Couple's challenge over damaged sign
Among those to find themselves on the wrong side of a PCN were John and Claire Glare who were driving through the area earlier this year. John explained how the married couple were shocked to receive a penalty having not seen any signage indicating the camera was in place.
He said: “At the time Claire got the notice, she actually ended up with two in the same week. The sign looked like it had been twisted so you could see it coming from the other direction, the other way around which is useless.”
John said it was only on inspecting the location that he and his wife realised the sign had been vandalised and they had in fact travelled through a bus lane. This didn’t stop the city council making a request for £70 by way of a fine.
Tribunal ruling and council response
John said: “The absence of the warning sign created a danger for many motorists, having driven around the bend in the road, seeing the bus lane ahead, and swerving to the lane on the right in order to avoid the bus lane. So, you either undertake a dangerous manoeuvre or get a PCN.”
After two unsuccessful attempts asking the local authority to overturn the tickets, John and Claire took their case to a traffic penalty tribunal. In documents seen by the ECHO, adjudicators agreed with Claire’s evidence and found “it more likely than not that it was not displayed correctly at the time this contravention took place.”
A decision notice said: “The warning sign is located just before the road veers round to the right. There is a large multi-lane junction ahead, together with traffic lights. The first bus lane sign is located to the left of the carriageway.
“At this point, the carriageway is a two-lane carriageway and I find that the sign would be less readily visible to a vehicle travelling in the right hand lane. I accept the Appellant’s contention that a driver rounding the bend, and not alerted to the upcoming restriction, would have their attention focussed on the junction ahead and that if a driver were in the righthand lane, the chance of missing the bus lane signage is increased, even if that driver then, seeing traffic ahead, decides to move into the lefthand lane.”
As a result the ticket was cancelled. One driver who was less fortunate was Paul Lawrence who made the journey from his home in Knowsley Village to the Royal Liverpool Hospital to take his friend Terry Potter, 95, to an appointment.
The 76-year-old admitted he had thought the lanes were still out of service, having been scrapped by former Mayor Joe Anderson in 2014. Paul added how he was concerned his political leanings may have influenced the city council’s decision to penalise him.
He told the ECHO how a sticker for Reform UK had been visible in the back of his car and said it “bears the question” as to whether this had any impact on his sanction. Liverpool Council denied this had been the case.
A city council spokesperson said: "There was a period when a temporary warning sign advising motorists that bus lane camera enforcement was in operation on Irvine Street had been tampered with, meaning it could not be read properly by drivers. The sign was returned to its correct position as soon as the issue was brought to our attention.
“It was originally installed as an additional warning when the bus lane was introduced to help motorists adjust to the new restrictions. Motorists should always follow the permanent bus lane signage and road markings.
“Bus lanes play an important role in helping public transport move efficiently and reliably across the city, reducing delays for bus passengers. Signage and road infrastructure should not be tampered with, as doing so can create confusion for road users and undermine measures designed to keep Liverpool's transport network operating effectively.”
