Freedom of Information Act / Environmental Information Regulations Request
Reference: ECC20634530 06 26
Response: 13 July 2026
I can confirm that Essex County Council does hold some of this information, and where we are able to release this, our response is listed below.
All information regarding the impact of bus lanes on visitors to Colchester. In particular, I am keen to understand the following: -
Question 1 - How many bus lane fines are issued by Essex County Council and their appointed subcontractors per year to Colchester residents compared to non - Colchester residents who may have no prior knowledge of bus lanes. Please provide statistics of the areas that all fines are issued to per UK geographic county, for the calendar years 2024, 2025 and from January to end of May 2026.
Essex County Council does not hold information identifying whether a recipient of a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) is a visitor to Colchester, whether they had prior knowledge of bus lane restrictions, or whether they were the driver of the vehicle at the time of the contravention. PCNs are issued to the registered keeper of the vehicle.
Whilst the Council holds address information relating to registered keepers, the information is not held in a format that enables reports to be produced by UK geographic county. County information is not recorded in a separate searchable field and address information is held in free-text format. As a result, county information may appear in different parts of an address, may be omitted entirely, or may not correspond to current geographic or administrative county boundaries.
The Council does not hold the requested statistics as recorded information. In order to provide the information requested, it would be necessary to manually review and categorise a significant number of individual address records relating to PCNs issued during the period requested and determine a county classification for each record. This would require the creation of new information through extensive manual analysis of records.
The Council considers that complying with this element of the request would impose a disproportionate burden on the authority and has therefore applied the exception under:
Regulation 12(4)(b) – Manifestly Unreasonable
The Council has considered the public interest test in accordance with Regulation 12(1)(b).
Public interest in disclosure
Promoting openness and transparency regarding bus lane enforcement activities.
Increasing public understanding of the geographic distribution of PCNs issued by the Council.
Supporting public scrutiny of traffic management measures.
Public interest in maintaining the exception
Avoiding the diversion of a disproportionate amount of Council resources from its core functions.
The requested information is not held in the format requested and would require extensive manual review and manipulation of a large volume of individual records.
The burden of extracting and creating the requested information would outweigh the value of disclosure.
Having considered the balance of the public interest, the Council has concluded that the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
In accordance with Regulation 9 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the Council would be willing to consider a refined request for information that is held in a readily reportable format. For example, the Council may be able to provide statistics relating to the total number of bus lane PCNs issued in Colchester during the requested period, subject to the information held.
Bus lanes and bus gates are not exclusive to Colchester or even Essex, they are used nationally and information is included in the Highways Code and Know Your Traffic Signs. All road users should be familiar with the Highways Code.
Information specifically regarding bus lanes enforced by cameras in Essex are publicly available online - https://www.essexhighways.org/bus-lane-enforcement.
Question 2 - Does any of the income generated by bus lane fines go to Colchester Tourism projects, Colchester Business Improvement projects or Colchester Town Centre Management projects?
Revenue is utilised as part of the Essex County Council Highways and Infrastructure portfolio.
Question 3 - What actions have Essex County Council taken to ensure that satellite navigation systems are updated to prevent drivers from inadvertently driving into Colchester bus lanes?
All new Traffic Regulation Orders are shared with relevant mapping companies, such as TomTom and HERE. Errors in satellite navigations systems can be reported directly to the providers.
Question 4 - Why does the payment process for bus lane fines not provide an instant receipt for payment received as per most UK payment for service transactions? Does Essex County Council consider having an available reference number rather than a pro-active instant receipt, adequate customer service and best practice?
Your question does not relate to recorded information held by Essex County Council. The Freedom of Information Act/ Environmental Information Regulations cover any recorded information that is held by a public authority; this includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings. The Act/Regulations do not require us to answer questions or provide access to opinions or comments unless they are held in a recorded form. There is no requirement to create new information to satisfy a request. We are therefore unable to provide a response to this element of your request.
Your Right to Know
Democracy and Transparency
Essex County Council
Telephone: 033301 38989
Email: YourRight.ToKnow@essex.gov.uk | www.essex.gov.uk
