[Closed] Bus lane fine

I can put it down to shit happens or i can appeal, but is there any point???

No. HTH.

I say fight it.

You'll lose, but you'll go down swinging.

Have they sent you proof?

When I got caught doing it there was a picture width the letter and they kindly provided a web link if I wanted to watch myself on video.

You deserve the fine for question mark abuse.

mrmo - Member

I was there so i must have.

Yeah definitely appeal. Say it was your evil twin brother, that'll fool them.

just to be clear this isn't a "bus lane" think of a road that goes from a to b and in the middle is a chicane through which cars are banned.

Were you driving a car?

I questioned one I got in that London, they sent me a blurred photo without number plate recognised, so I fought it and got off. Quite how they new it was me with the number plate illegiable is beyond me but hey.
Then I got caught in Camden for 10mins over parking and a £40 fine, so life has a habit of equating itself.

Buy a bus, transfer your car number plate onto that. You win.

Not really any point, just pay up unless you are rock solid you did nothing wrong

I got fined for driving in a bus lane by Ealing Council

I paid it but was sure I hadn't done anything wrong so went back to check where it happened. When I went back I remembered there was a contra flow in progress for road works which forced you to drive in the bus lane.

Wrote a letter to highways department they confirmed that I was correct.

Wrote a letter to Ealing Council who acknowledged the mistake but refused to refund the fine as I didn't contest it at the time. Gave up and now just have a story about unfair bus lane fines that cost me £60

(want a cool story meme now)

[img] [/img]

Pay it quickly and it should be discounted to £30. What's your time worth to fight this?

I note from comments on the internet that this camera seems to be quite a revenue generator for the council. c4000 fines in the last 12 months....

Find me a camera that people caught *don't* consider a revenue generator. There's a very clearly marked bus lane filter near me that featured in the local paper - one of the interviewed drivers complained that she'd been caught twice....

Is this it?

I would say it is fairly well signposted, no excuse on that point.

The logic of it being a restricted lane isn't immediately obvious though, maybe they are trying to stop the road being a rat run.

[img] [/img]

MSP, no no that one, or at least i don't think so

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ @51.839886,-2.1801458,3a,75y,101.51h,75.51t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sg-XzlddMxdKcrMp2g2tTXA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

As said i was lost realised going in wrong direction went through a narrow bit turned round in the road and went back through didn't see any signs wet road, crap weather, crap street lights, nighttime, building sight so loads of mud on road, etc. just the usual excuses.

You should have a photo with the fine. My wife had a lovely snapshot when driving my car along a bus lane last year. 😆

Is the automatic reaction to a fine etc "how can I get away with this?" these days?

I got caught out a few years ago in Bradford, the lane in question was a section about 30 yards long that appeared to have been set up for revenue collection purposes. The signage was minimal but after reading a few money saving expert type sites I decided not to bother contesting it. I just never go to Bradford centre for anything anymore.

Just looking at Google maps there is a sign on both sides of the road and written on the floor that it's for busses and taxis only plus a sign saying cameras in operation. You have no chance I am afraid.

https://www.google.com/maps/ @51.839886,-2.1801458,3a,82.2y,123.63h,79.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sg-XzlddMxdKcrMp2g2tTXA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Rotor i know, but when lost you tend not to pay full attention to details, particularly when the weather is crap and you are crawling along looking for street signs about 3 foot off the ground. yes they have enclosed a picture, but to be honest you can see virtually nothing, you can't see signs, the road is barely visible, etc

Paid it what is the point of contesting it i'll only lose.

I recently asked a similar question about a car park fine. In the end, it's a toss up between the hassle and stress of disputing the fine, or just paying out the bit of cash. Part of the dilemma is that these gits make shitloads out of people that don't want the hassle, nice work if you can get it.
Only you can the decision in the end.

This one?

[IMG] [/IMG]

You need glasses.

Drac now remove the sunlight, note the large number of non existent street lights, what you don't see is the building site round the corner so cover the road is crap, and add pissing rain.

The picture they have sent me has only one thing clearly visible my number plate the rest is dark and murky, i can see what looks like the no entry signs, you can see the shape but it looks like they weren't lit up so all. certainly can't pick up any marking on the road.

Drac now remove the sunlight, note the large number of non existent street lights, what you don't see is the building site round the corner so cover the road is crap, and add pissing rain.

Right, but you were asking about appealing. I don't think there's any point. There are at least four signs on streetview telling you no through access/saying 'Buses only', and it's painted on the road too. "You put a load of signs up but I ignored them, so I'm not paying the fine" doesn't really work.

I can see how a stressed, lost driver, in bad weather could miss them, but that doesn't mean you can appeal, or that you're a victim of the council's scheming.

mrmo - Member
Drac now remove the sunlight, note the large number of non existent street lights, what you don't see is the building site round the corner so cover the road is crap, and add pissing rain.

Unless you are local to the area I think it would be difficult to avoid driving into that lane unintentionally. This is because when you follow an empty lane you will keep driving until you come to a stop or dead end. The only way you can avoid driving into that lane is by driving at 10mph or below while looking around for road signs etc ...

Where I am now I get cars driving into one way street all the time because drivers are not familiar with the area. When I visit my friends I have to google map first before I go ...

I think you can write to them politely to ask them to reconsider because you are not from that area. Otherwise, I think they got you ...

I got threatened with a fine a few years ago for cycling in a bus lane, it didnt have a bike pictogram signage so cyclists couldnt cycle in it

You see that big black pole next to the sign, i think that might be a street light.

If it's any consolation, I got one a while back after taking a tuesday and wednesday off and assuming that the rest of the world had also adapted to my relocated weekend.

remove the sunlight, note the large number of non existent street lights, what you don't see is the building site round the corner so cover the road is crap, and add pissing rain.

Tell them this, you're bound to get an appeal.

I mean who can be expected to look out for road signs?

They're making a fortune, ask Dez.

I've no idea how old that photo is as if you move a few feet along the road isn't surfaced.

Errmmm - I f you claim you were not paying sufficient attention to see the signs is that an admission of careless driving? It could be a a baby robins face next time or something 😉

I know it's fun to pile on, but I can see the OP's point. A place you don't know, it's dark and pissing it down. I know most here are driving gods, with fully intact greenhouses, but I know I might have made the same mistake in similar circumstances.

Jamie - Member
... but I know I might have made the same mistake in similar circumstances.

I find British roads too complicated with too many rules at times but then that is the norm. I usually get the look from other drivers when I drive too slowly in unfamiliar areas ...

Some of the roundabouts ... crikey ... 😆

I know it's fun to pile on, but I can see the OP's point.

I agree. In [i]the old days[/i] they used to have very clear "no entry" signs - big read things with a white bar across the middle, you couldn't miss them. Sometimes they had "except buses" or taxis, or bicycles, or whatever, written on them.

Now they have these pale blue signs with loads of small pictures on them that you have to decipher as you're driving along unfamiliar roads.

Central Croydon is a nightmare with regards to this, they have pale blue signs with pictures of trams, buses, bicycles, and the word "taxi" on them, in various combinations. And just to properly confuse you some of the pale blue signs with pictures of trams on them only apply certain times. So you have to work out what the picture on the sign says and what time/day it is, whilst driving with someone up your arse and trying to figure out what turning to take.

It's bad enough for local people but for someone who doesn't know the area it must be a total nightmare. Bring back the red no entry signs!

I know it's fun to pile on, but I can see the OP's point. A place you don't know, it's dark and pissing it down. I know most here are driving gods, with fully intact greenhouses, but I know I might have made the same mistake in similar circumstances.

Me too but I've never tried to blame the council for me missing a sign.

Is the automatic reaction to a fine etc "how can I get away with this?" these days?

These are times of austerity. £30 might not seem much to some folks but it really unbalanced my weekly budget. I can see why trying to find a way to avoid it is relevant to some.

Drac, being a bit harsh here, can only hope you've had a bit of a drink otherwise you're coming across as a bit of an arse. Mainly the middle bit.

OP is not blaming the council, merely pointing out the extenuating circumstances.

But ultimately, OP, I think you'll have to pay.

What extenuating circumstances? Would that be extenuating circumstances if he hadn't seen a cyclist? considering these factors to be "extenuating circumstances" is why car drivers who kill cyclists don't get proper punishment. the OP is lucky its just a small fine for a bus lane infringement

What extenuating circumstances? Would that be extenuating circumstances if he hadn't seen a cyclist?

It was dark and raining often seems to work. Even though being dark happens everyday and we get rain fairly often too.

The OP was looking for a road sign for somewhere but missed the road sign telling him about a bus lane. Why would you think that you can appeal that I've no idea.

These are times of austerity. £30 might not seem much to some folks but it really unbalanced my weekly budget. I can see why trying to find a way to avoid it is relevant to some.

the OP is lucky its just a small fine for a bus lane infringement

No he's not lucky, a large fine or prison sentence would not have been appropriate for driving a bus lane.

And not noticing a bus lane is quite different to not noticing a cyclist and killing them.

I have on very rare occasions through confusion ended up in the wrong lane, there is a chance I might do it again in the future. I have never hit a cyclist, even when they have done something stupid, and hopefully never will.

He is lucky in that his inattention did not result in something with more serious consequences. Could have been a robins face etc.

I can be inattentive about minor things and yet at the same time be attentive about major things.

I am particularly good about avoiding killing wildlife. Robins have nothing to fear from me.

I can be inattentive about minor things and yet at the same time be attentive about major things.