A County Council in the UK has come under fire after allowing electric vehicles to drive in bus lanes.
Cambridgeshire County Council will allow EVs and motorcycles to use bus and cycle lanes in a scheme which, if successful, will be extended across the city. It is thought the project is the first of its kind in the country which incentivises the use of greener modes of transport.
But the move has been met with disdain by some motoring organisations, dubbing the routes ‘Tesla Lanes’, and calling for the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order to be reversed. The main criticism is that the lanes could be confusing for some drivers and that EV sales are booming, which will almost make the incentive redundant.
Rod Dennis, spokesman for the RAC said the lanes could: “Cause confusion for drivers and serves to undermine the very purpose of a bus and cycle lane.
“What’s more, the incentive is likely to prove short-lived as more pure EVs are coming on to our roads all the time.
And, as soon as sales of electric cars really take off, the council will have no choice but to fork out more money to put everything back to how it was before.”
It is thought that Cambridgeshire County Council will use cameras to monitor the lanes, and spotting EVs by recognising the special ‘green flash’ number plates which EVs can now use.
“This is a trial and is intended to test the effect of allowing these additional vehicles to use the bus lane. If successful it may be extended to other bus lanes in Cambridge,” said a council spokesman.
“We will consider in due course whether the provisions of the Experimental Order should be made permanent.”