§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action the
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SSSIs within Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council area Site Notification date Area (HA) Grid reference Attingham Park 22 March 2000 190.75 SJ550096 Berrington Pool 25 January 1984 4.8 SJ524072 Bomere, Shomere and Betton Pools 26 October 1983 59.8 SJ502080 Buildwas River Section 5 February 1986 1.29 SJ640045 Buildwas Sand Quarry 22 December 1992 0.14 SJ644041 Government are taking to ensure that only buses travel in the bus lane at peak times; and if he will make a statement. [158404]
§ Mr. HillIt is for the local highway authority to decide, in the context of its local transport objectives, whether other classes of vehicles, such as cycles and taxis, should be permitted to use bus lanes. The highway authority would normally liaise with the local police on the enforcement of the traffic regulations so that only permitted vehicles use the lanes, but where authorities had taken on the powers now available to them to enforce parking restriction, they would be able to target parking offences in bus lanes more effectively.
Following successful trials in London, enforcement systems using bus-mounted and CCTV cameras are being introduced along bus routes in London. This includes local authorities carrying out enforcement using camera evidence.
My Department will be consulting later this year on regulations to allow local authorities outside London to take up powers in section 144 of the Transport Act 2000 to enforce bus lanes using camera evidence. These new powers would be available to authorities which have parking enforcement powers. We would hope to see a wider use of such approaches leading to better compliance with bus lanes restrictions, keeping them clearer for buses to use.