Drivers wrongly using a one-way system to cut through traffic will now be fined.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at the junction of Clive Road, Barrack Row and Garrick Street in Gravesend.

It comes as more than 600 motorists were turned around by police officers between December and January as they tried to drive through the bus gate.

A bus gate – a stretch of road with restricted access for vehicles – was installed where the three streets meet in 2018, allowing only buses and cyclists through.

It was resurfaced in blue to make it more obvious and obsolete signs were removed in 2022, as part of Kent County Council’s (KCC) £2.5 million project to improve transport connections.

Following a public consultation, the county council has decided to go ahead with installing ANPR cameras later this year with enforcement starting soon after.

It said this is a “last line of defence” to get drivers to comply with the restrictions.

Taxi drivers previously called for a U-turn on the decision to stop them from using the bus gate, however, KCC stated they would still not be able to use the fastrack system.

The consultation report added: “This bus route results in an advantage to bus journey times over the private car. This encourages a greater take up of bus journeys.

“The more vehicles that use the bus gate, the less effective it becomes.”

It has not been confirmed when the cameras will be installed or go live.

In July 2022, KCC was given new powers to enforce moving traffic offences and has rolled out a number around the county – including in Maidstone, Dartford and Dover.

Previously, offences such as driving through no-entry signs, banned turns, entering yellow box junctions when the exit was not clear, and driving vehicles on routes marked for buses and taxis could only be enforced by the police.

Figures from the county council gathered in June 2022 revealed around 1,000 vehicles were moving through the Clive Road bus gate, which was “causing delays to the bus network and affected the punctuality of buses”.