City Conservative Leader Councillor Wendy Thompson said that the decision to fine drivers £70 for encroaching on the red lanes was coming at a time when bus lanes were being "widely discredited" elsewhere in the country.
"This is another hare-brained money making scheme by a Council in panic, and another pointless blow to drivers as well as to the reputation of the city. We need to be encouraging people to come and shop in the city, not driving them away just because they are in cars."
Councillor Thompson added that bus lanes were being abandoned by other parts of the country, especially where they have been shown to have little or no beneficial effect on traffic in general.
"Liverpool is planning to take out all but four of its bus lanes because they hampered traffic flow more than they helped it, and this is one of the biggest cities in the country."