‘Keep elderly and disabled bus passengers in mind’ is the message being given to motorists in Nottinghamshire by the county council to raise awareness of the impacts of parking at bus stops.

Disabled passengers and those with limited mobility rely on raised bus stops for step free access, however parking at bus stops across the county remains an issue meaning that these passengers often cannot board or alight the bus in their preferred location.

Nottinghamshire County Council will now install 10 new enforcement cameras at sites across the county to help to prevent bus stop parking in known hotspots, following the success of five cameras installed in September 2023.

The cameras on Newcastle Avenue in Worksop, Plains Road in Mapperley, High Road in Beeston, Radcliffe Road in West Bridgford and Leeming Street in Mansfield have achieved a 45% reduction in parking offences over the past year.

Cameras on Leeming Street in particular have achieved a 65% reduction and have helped to support the successful return of Stagecoach services in the area after they were withdrawn due to ongoing issues with bus stop parking.

The 10 new sites include:

  • Broomhill Road, Hucknall
  • Retford Road, Worksop
  • Carlton Hill, Carlton
  • Plains Road, Mapperley
  • Front Street, Arnold
  • Ravensdale Road, Mansfield
  • Castle Gate, Newark
  • Davies Road, West Bridgford
  • Radcliffe Road, West Bridgford

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “My message to all motorists in Nottinghamshire is to imagine that you are a bus passenger who perhaps has a disability or who is elderly and struggles with mobility and think about how you would board and alight the bus if you could not access it safely.

“All too often we are seeing parking contraventions, albeit for a short amount of time, at key bus stops meaning that buses then cannot park safely to pick up and drop off passengers.

“We typically see these offences at bus stops close to fast food outlets on busy roads but that doesn’t take away the importance of thinking before you park at any bus stop in Nottinghamshire.

“It is really good news that in just over a year the five cameras we already have in place across Nottinghamshire have achieved a reduction in the amount of parking offences but we know that there is more work to do and that is why we have chosen to increase the number of enforcement cameras to other known areas where bus stop parking is an issue.

“We have been working closely with bus operators to identify these sites and their suggestions have come from listening to passenger and driver feedback.

“We will of course ensure that before cameras are installed, lines and signs are refreshed.

“However, camera or not I would like to appeal to all motorists across the county to say that even if you think it won’t affect anyone, parking in a bus stop is certainly going to affect someone whether that is a passenger or driver and I would urge everyone to think twice about parking in these areas.

“We remain committed to making sure that bus services are the best they can be for local people and ensuring that passengers can access their local service when they want to is just one of our priorities when it comes to achieving this.”