ALMOST 700 drivers are to have fines cancelled after they were caught driving in a Glasgow city centre bus lane.

On Sunday, August 3, tens of thousands of people packed the city to watch the Commonwealth Games cycle race and, as part of traffic management plans, road diversions were put in place that were closely monitored.

But on the same day, CCTV enforcement cameras caught almost 700 drivers using the bus lane across Victoria Bridge.

Fines were issued but council bosses have now admitted they made a mistake and will reimburse everyone who was wrongly issued with a fixed penalty notice.

Bosses have conceded there was an error on one of the temporary road signs put out in Stockwell Street. That resulted in confused drivers wrongly using the bus lane over Victoria Bridge.

A council spokesman said: "The bus lane was never intended to be part of the local diversion.

"However, having looked at the situation, it appears drivers believed they had no other option but to use the lane.

"We are cancelling all the tickets issued on that day and will issue refunds in cases where penalty charge notices have already been paid.

"There was a complicated traffic management plan in place for the race and it mostly worked very well.

"However, we made a mistake on one of the signs that was used on the day in Stockwell Street.

"We apologise to anyone who was inconvenienced by this and will be cancelling all the penalty charge notices. We will be writing to everyone affected to tell them."

Recently, the council was forced to improve signs at the bus gate at Nelson Mandela Place after a flood of complaints from drivers.

The Evening Times revealed 28,000 drivers had been caught on CCTV and fined in just nine weeks, many claiming they had not seen warning signs until it was too late.

Some said they were forced to reverse out of Nelson Mandela Place to avoid being hit with a fine.

A number of city businessmen have called for the bus gate to be scrapped, insisting it will deter people from travelling into the city centre for entertainment and dining.

However, the council insists it will stay, saying it has been introduced to ease the flow of public transport around George Square and to improve air quality.

Roads bosses say drivers are beginning to get the message, with the number of fixed penalty notices steadily falling.

Meanwhile, business owners in Byres Road are angry at plans to introduce new parking restrictions.

The council is considering introducing residents parking and pay and display meters in the popular shopping area to stop commuters parking their cars while they take the Subway into work.

It is proposed businesses will have to pay £700 for an annual permit, but many say they cannot afford that on top of their rates.

They also say their operations will be disrupted because workers will have to leave their posts every three hours to move their cars.

It has been suggested a number of small companies in the area will to move to other parts of the city rather than find the extra cash to park.

If the controversial Byres Road restrictions are introduced, it will bring the area into line with other parts of the West End, including nearby Woodlands.

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk