Drivers fined £50,000 after bus lane restrictions suspended for Idris Elba and Jason Statham film shoot were reinstated without notice
Over 800 motorists in Glasgow were handed £60 fines when diversions that had been put in place to allow for the filming of a Hollywood movie were lifted without them knowing
HUNDREDS of motorists in Glasgow were handed £60 fines when bus lanes suspended for the filming of a new Idris Elba and Jason Statham film were reinstated without notice.
Last month traffic restrictions were suspended at the bus gate at Nelson Mandela Place in the centre of the Scottish city to allow scenes to be filmed for Hobbs and Shaw, a spin-off from The Fast and the Furious franchise.
But when the restrictions were reintroduced, someone forgot to move a sign alerting drivers to the suspension.
A total of 817 vehicles were clocked by a camera and fines of £60 were automatically issued, with the fee rising to £90 if not paid within a month, amounting to at least £49,000.
A motorist who was caught but later had the fined cancelled after an appeal said: “I just wonder how many people just paid up and didn't appeal?
“I was puzzled when it came in because I clearly remembered the signage saying the bus lane was suspended.
“This is not the way to run a road system, when you're firing out fines that weren't meant to be issued.
“At the end of the day, we pay enough in terms of parking fees in Glasgow without having rogue fines issued just because someone didn't do their job properly. It's a shambles.”
The council closed off a number of streets around George Square last month to allow filming to take place.
The council understands the problem occurred when one of the production crew wrongly changed a street notice during one day of filming which diverted traffic into Nelson Mandela Place.
A council spokesman told The Sun Online: "The traffic order issued by the council was clear that the bus gate at that location was still operational on the day in question.
"However, the team employed to manage the traffic on behalf of the filming event on October 28 put out signs that erroneously indicated that the bus gate had been suspended.
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"In the circumstances, we will refund all those who have paid a fine and cancel all other charges."
In August this year Glasgow was exposed as the highest spending council to splash out on luxury cars for mayors in three years.
It spent £107,661 on leasing, maintenance and fuel for three cars.