DRIVERS could face a fine of up to £90 if they are caught using bus lanes on a busy Oldbury road from the middle of this month.

Enforcement action will begin on bus lanes on Hagley Road West today (Monday, June 3) with warning notices set to be sent to offending motorists.

After Friday, June 15, motorists caught on camera using the bus lane will receive penalty charge notices from the council.

The restrictions on the use of the bus lane are in place between 7am-7pm.

Council bosses hope the enforcement action - which is also being undertaken on Walsall Road, West Bromwich - will help speed up bus transport.

Motorists using the bus lane will be charged £60 - a fee that drops to £30 if paid within 14 days of the notice date but rises to £90 if not paid within 28 days.

Warning notices have been posted in the area and letters have been delivered to local residents along the route.

Councillor Jackie Taylor, cabinet member for sustainable transport, said: “We must encourage the use of sustainable transport options to give priority for buses which might be held up in traffic congestion.

“This will help to increase bus service reliability, improve bus passenger journey times and encourage the use of public transport.

“It is important too that bus lanes can be used by cyclists and for black taxi cabs which will also play a part in our efforts to speed up traffic and helps our efforts for a cleaner air in the borough.

“We all know that volumes of traffic increase year-on-year and any move like bus lanes improving public transport can help to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road.”

Fixed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras mounted on street lighting columns will detect unauthorised vehicles illegally driving in the bus lanes and record the footage.

Drivers who want to turn left at a junction along the length of a bus lane can use sections of broken white lines in the road markings.