More than 150,000 parking fines were issued last year in the North, official figures show. "Over 150,000 parking and bus lane fines handed out to motorists in our town and city centres is having a clear and negative impact on shoppers and our members." The Infrastructure Department said 94,542 on-street parking Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued last year, almost half in Belfast and a rise of 11% on the previous year. A statement from the Infrastructure Department said: "Enforcement of parking restrictions and bus lanes aims to reduce the number of illegally-parked vehicles and unauthorised vehicles using bus lanes during operational hours. "In order to achieve these benefits, it is important that appropriate action is taken to discourage those who park or use bus lanes illegally.

Source: Evening echo February 15, 2018 15:45 UTC