The Express and Star talk to the people of Wolverhampton about their concerns for bus lane fines in the city.

Express & Star

Transcript

00:00So Daniel Waton with Express and Style, we're down here in Wolverhampton city centre where

00:07we're asking residents if they believe that Wolverhampton is one of the worst areas for

00:11bus fines or travelling into bus gates like this one here.

00:15So we're down here just asking residents, shoppers, anybody who drives in or catches

00:20the buses in, just on their opinion, if they think it's one of the worst.

00:26Also the parking, I will park outside town and walk in because parking is really difficult

00:34and they keep changing bus stops as well so people I know who are elderly don't literally

00:41know where to catch a bus or to get back on a bus to come into town.

00:46They're ruining this city by making it so difficult to come in to shop and to visit.

00:52It's ridiculous.

00:54Do you think some of the people that we've asked, they've said that they're a bit thrown

00:59off by the bus gates and that they'll usually catch a bus in or they won't come into Wolverhampton

01:04because of the bus gates because they can get caught.

01:06Do you reckon that's a viable policy?

01:08Yeah, it's probably an extra annoyance on people's already difficult lives, they just

01:15want to go up to Wolverhampton town centre which is lovely, go to the art gallery perhaps

01:20and they can't because there's so many little aggravating problems in the way.

01:26Like you were saying, the bus lanes, the parking and stuff like that.

01:31So one of the things that a lot of the drivers that we've asked so far have said is that

01:36they usually park on the outskirts of Wolverhampton and travel in because the bus lanes and bus

01:40gates scare them.

01:41Do you reckon it scares people from coming into the city?

01:45If you're not familiar with your surroundings, yeah, because all of a sudden you can be caught

01:52in a bus lane and you don't even know you're in there and all of a sudden you get a fine.

01:57In your experience, do you reckon there's any city that's worse, Birmingham, anywhere

02:00like that?

02:01Oh, excuse me, well Birmingham's for driving because when my wife goes in there it's a

02:05bloody nightmare because you go in there and it's all one way isn't it and unless you know

02:10where you're going it's a nightmare to get back out.

02:14Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

02:15You've got any experience?

02:16Go on sir.

02:17Birmingham is a city isn't it, so, I mean it's supposed to be a city but it's not, it's

02:21a town.

02:22Yeah, yeah.

02:23Your wife's never had any fines has she?

02:24No, no.

02:25She always says, oh God, they've got me here, they've got me there, but they never have

02:29done so.

02:30I wouldn't have said so, no.

02:32I think the bus lanes are fairly obvious and it's quite easy to avoid them, so it's fine

02:38really.

02:39Yeah, that's fine.

02:40Do you reckon there's any place that's worse, any city that's worse?

02:43I don't know, possibly Manchester, but I don't drive there that often.

02:49No, no, that's fair.

02:50Have you ever been caught out yourself?

02:51No, no.

02:52Ah, that's a good driver then, good driver then that is, yeah.

02:55Fantastic.

02:56So one of the real questions that we're asking is, do you think that the bus lanes in the

03:02city sort of scare people from coming in, because I've had a few people say that it

03:06sort of scares them, they don't want to get caught by the buses so they'll park on the

03:08outskirts and then travel in or they just won't come in.

03:10Do you reckon that's a fear?

03:12I suppose, yeah, if you're probably a nervous driver or you don't know the area very well.

03:18I've lived here all my life and I've seen the changes and as I've seen them come along

03:23you sort of get to know where they are, so it's not caused me a problem.

03:28So, final opinion, they're perfectly obvious there, you don't have to know that.

03:32Yeah, I think that's fine.

03:33That's a perfect one, that's great.

Category

Transcript

Recommended