The roads in Kent making the most money for each council from penalty charge notices (PCNs) have been revealed, with one road raking in nearly £1 million.
Motorists can be issued PCNs for various driving offences, including illegal parking, straying into bus lanes, or blocking a yellow box junction.
The road where the most fines were issued in the county was Mount Pleasant Road in Tunbridge Wells, where 28,930 fines have made £991,815 in the last financial year.
The stretch has been a bus lane since 2020 and ANPR cameras were introduced in March 2023 to catch cars on the road.
The move has been controversial in the town, with locals complaining about poor signage since it was introduced.
Second on the list was Northgate Road in Medway, which the Freedom of Information request from Confused.com revealed had made £163,615 from 6,703 PCNs.
The road runs across Rochester High Street towards Rochester Castle and is closed to motorists between 10am and 4pm on Saturdays.
Until April 2024, the road would be blocked off with a chain preventing drivers from using it during restricted times.
This was followed by Market Street in Dartford, where 2,311 PCNs were issued. The council didn’t hold the data for the amount this came to, but it can be estimated at a minimum of £57,775.
The FOI was sent to every council in the country, asking them to reveal which single street in the council area has produced the highest income from traffic or parking violations.
Gravesham, Maidstone and Swale borough councils did not hold the relevant data.
Nationally, Corporation Street in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre was top with 62,725 PCNs issued, and Mount Pleasant Road made it in to the top 10.
But it’s high ranking did not come as a surprise to the people of Tunbridge Wells.
Glorine Stapleton said: “I see it all the time. I wait at the bus stop and see them coming and think, that’s another £70.
“It’s a good thing, but I think the signs aren’t very good.”
It is a feeling echoed by 52-year-old James Butler, who was fined for parking his car for five minutes after missing the bus gate signs: “Ignorance isn’t a defence, but I genuinely hadn’t seen the signage properly, so I think it’s a common thing.”
When asked what he thought of the money raised by the council, the early retiree joked: “It says to me I’ve gone out of one business and need to get into another.”
Between 9am and 6pm traffic is restricted along the road for buses, bicycles and taxis,
Kent County Council are responsible for the signage and, since October, enforcement of the rules and revenue collection.
New signs have recently been put up, but some still remain unconvinced.
Gardener Emma Appleby said: “They’ve changed it recently and it’s marginally better, but it’s not massively obvious. You still have to look for it.
“It’s fair enough that cars aren’t allowed to go through, but there should be clearer signs”, her partner Ian added.
Concerns about the signage in the area are longstanding, with local MP Mike Martin stating that blue circular signs imply permission.
“Ever since being elected, I’ve been warning Kent County Council to change the misleading bus gate signs in Tunbridge Wells from blue to red. Every time I’ve been fobbed off”, said the Liberal Democrat.
“Hopefully, these new statistics make them see sense.”
A Kent County Council (KCC) spokesperson said: “Tunbridge Wells Borough Council managed and enforced the Mount Pleasant bus gate until autumn 2025. KCC recently took over responsibility and began enforcement in December 2025.
“KCC has redesigned the scheme to comply with updated legislation and has installed new signage that goes beyond the required standards.
“In line with our approach to all new moving traffic enforcement, only warning notices are issued to drivers for a first offence during the initial six‑month period. A Penalty Charge Notice is then issued for any further breaches.
“It would not be appropriate to comment on the performance of the new scheme until the initial six‑month warning period has ended and a further six months of enforcement data has been collected. This will allow us to accurately assess changes in traffic levels in the pedestrian area.”
A spokesman for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said: “Signage for the scheme, which was intended to make the town centre a safer and more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists, has always been the responsibility of KCC.”
