3 days ago
New traffic camera outside school earns council £4k in fines
A traffic camera installed outside a Brownhills school in the second week of term last year has collected £4,000 in fines.
Walsall Council installed the camera outside St Bernadette's Catholic School on Narrow Lane as traffic restrictions outside the gates continued to be ignored.
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The primary school, at the very end of the residential cul-de-sac, has yellow zigzag restrictions, meaning drivers must not park or stop.
But despite the restrictions being in place for many years, the council said drivers continued to flout the rules as they perceived the 'chance of enforcement to be low'.
Between its installation on September 11, 2024, and the end of the school year, 119 fines were issued by APCOA Parking Ltd, seven were quashed following appeal, and £4,000 was collected.
The figures were provided to the Local Democracy Reporting Service in a Freedom of Information request.
A spokesperson for Walsall Council said: 'The enforcement camera was installed to improve compliance with the clear restrictions installed directly outside the school entrance to maintain safety for our school children.
'Despite the restriction being in place for many years, motorists were regularly parking in the restricted area when they perceived the chance of enforcement to be low.
'Since camera enforcement has been introduced, compliance with the restriction has improved and this is expected to continue improving.'