Kent County Council (KCC) has revealed that over 12,000 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued in the first year of using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at a bus-only route in Clive Road, Gravesend. The cameras were introduced on December 30, 2024, as a measure to ensure compliance with traffic restrictions and improve public transport efficiency.

Bus Gate Enforcement and Traffic Management

The Clive Road bus gate, located at the junction of Clive Road, Barrack Row, and Garrick Street, was established in 2018 to restrict vehicle access to only buses and bicycles. The gate was resurfaced in blue in 2022 as part of a £2.5 million project aimed at improving transport connections in the area.

According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by KentOnline, the ANPR cameras issued 12,008 PCNs between December 30, 2024, and December 30, 2025. This resulted in £233,680 in revenue for the council. The data shows an average of 32 fines per day, 231 per week, and 1,001 per month.

Despite the high number of fines, KCC’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Cllr Peter Osborne (Reform), reported an 86% reduction in contraventions over the course of the year. In January 2025, 6,578 fines were issued, compared to just 923 in December 2025.

Impact on Public Transport and Driver Compliance

Cllr Osborne stated that the enforcement measures have significantly improved driver compliance with the traffic restrictions. He said the ANPR cameras have successfully deterred unauthorized vehicles from using the bus gate, helping to maintain reliable journey times for public transport services.

“The enforcement measures were introduced to support the movement of buses and improve overall network efficiency, and the data shows they are achieving exactly that,” he said.

The report emphasized that the more vehicles that use the bus gate, the less effective it becomes in serving its intended purpose. The ANPR system was introduced as a “last line of defence” to ensure compliance after police officers manually turned around more than 600 vehicles between December 2023 and January 2024.

Broader Enforcement Powers and Future Plans

KCC was granted new powers in July 2022 to enforce moving traffic offences, which has allowed the council to implement measures across the county, including in Maidstone, Dartford, and Dover. Previously, such enforcement was limited to the police.

The council has now expanded its authority to handle violations such as driving through no-entry signs, banned turns, entering yellow box junctions when the exit is not clear, and using routes designated for buses and taxis.

The success of the Clive Road bus gate initiative may influence future decisions on similar traffic management projects across the region. KCC officials have not yet provided details on how many individual vehicles were fined multiple times or what types of vehicles were most frequently caught in violations.

With the enforcement of these restrictions, the council aims to ensure that the bus-only route remains effective in facilitating public transport and reducing delays for buses and cyclists. The next phase of the project may involve analyzing the data to refine enforcement strategies and improve overall traffic flow in the area.