Car drivers face tough new action for using bus-only route in Broadbridge Heath

An enforcement camera has been installed in Broadbridge Way in a bid to deter drivers from using the bus route – but many have still been ignoring the ‘no car’ regulation.

West Sussex County Council has issued warnings to drivers but now says it is going to start fining people.

A public outcry erupted back in May after Horsham Police posted a message on social media saying they had been monitoring the bus lane and had warned four drivers “that their cars weren’t buses.”

It led to many villagers saying: “We want our old roads back.” They called for the bus-only lane to be returned to its former through route and said that the road should never have been closed off in the first place.

They condemned the new road layout as ‘stupid, a complete waste of time and money and utterly dangerous.’

But the county council says the bus-only route, and its enforcement, is ‘a new approach to tackling a localised traffic management issue.’

A spokesperson said: “A two-way bus gate system was introduced in Broadbridge Way in 2019 and alterations were made in 2021 to support bus travel as a sustainable mode of transport, which formed part of the planning application to divert the original A281 traffic on to the newly-constructed A264.

“However, a significant number of drivers ignored the ‘bus only’ signage, and highways officers have since been working with the parish council, district council and police to try to find a solution.”

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The spokesperson said that the bus gate enforcement area was the first county council-led enforcement site, as opposed to a developer-led initiative.

He added: “Warning notices, rather than Penalty Charge Notices – PCNs – are currently being issued to give fair warning of the new enforcement regime.

"The start date for PCNs to be issued is now imminent.

“Taking measures to support sustainable transport options is reflected as one of the four priorities in Our Council Plan – helping to create a sustainable and prosperous economy.”