Bus lane fine.. Is this worth contesting..

[veryRS]

Just look at all those Eco friendly busses filled with socially aware and ecologically conscious goods citizens you were inconveniencing! I'd say you are lucky not to be publicly flogged for such a heinous and sociopathic crime!

[Mad Mark]

veryRS said:

Just look at all those Eco friendly busses filled with socially aware and ecologically conscious goods citizens you were inconveniencing! I'd say you are lucky not to be publicly flogged for such a heinous and sociopathic crime!

[Garvin]

Well I, for one, can't tell you how annoying it is to have people enter the bus lane before the end. Many's the time I have driven to the end of the bus lane and on trying to get into the left hand lane to turn left at the next junction a few yards futher on had complete nobs come streaking up the bus lane preventing a completely legal manoeuvre from taking place and causing inconvenience. I accept that waiting for buses/taxis in the lane to pass has to be endured but a stream of nob drivers all following them just causes my urine to exceeed 100C.

You got caught, stop bleating, cough up and learn to drive properly.

[badyaker]

I've been here myself and I feel your pain. I always wait until the end of the white line now, annoying as it is. Most of the time I end up with another driver of undisclosed but predictable flavour sat on my arse gesticulating wildly and squeezing past as I wait sort of just on the line with the left signal on but ultimately, I know that in a few days time he is going to get a letter.

I console myself by (a) always using the local bus lanes to progress my journey outside the hours of operation (noone else ever bothers - great Zil lanes) and (b) never giving way to buses if there is a bus lane they can use, unless there is real possibility of panel damage

Sometimes if there is a bus in the bus lane it is even possible to use the bus to screen you from the camera ... but I don't advocate this practice even though as an occasional user of the same bus route I know the on board cameras can't possibly get your reg

[Nigel Worc's]

Garvin said:

Well I, for one, can't tell you how annoying it is to have people enter the bus lane before the end. Many's the time I have driven to the end of the bus lane and on trying to get into the left hand lane to turn left at the next junction a few yards futher on had complete nobs come streaking up the bus lane preventing a completely legal manoeuvre from taking place and causing inconvenience. I accept that waiting for buses/taxis in the lane to pass has to be endured but a stream of nob drivers all following them just causes my urine to exceeed 100C.

You got caught, stop bleating, cough up and learn to drive properly.

This I'm afraid, as much as I hate bus lanes etc.

[JumboBeef]

Is 'nearly at the end of the bus lane' as good a defence as 'nearly under the drink drive limit' or 'nearly under the speed limit' or 'I nearly paid all my taxes'...?

Two foot or two miles of bus lane: you were nicked, pay up and get on with life.

[Funkateer]

Nigel Worc's said:

Garvin said:

Well I, for one, can't tell you how annoying it is to have people enter the bus lane before the end. Many's the time I have driven to the end of the bus lane and on trying to get into the left hand lane to turn left at the next junction a few yards futher on had complete nobs come streaking up the bus lane preventing a completely legal manoeuvre from taking place and causing inconvenience. I accept that waiting for buses/taxis in the lane to pass has to be endured but a stream of nob drivers all following them just causes my urine to exceeed 100C.

You got caught, stop bleating, cough up and learn to drive properly.

This I'm afraid, as much as I hate bus lanes etc.

Me too. They are overzealously enforced, especially if there's congestion approaching a junction, or if there's a right turner in the normal traffic lane, but some other drivers exacerbate the problem too.

[Mad Mark]

Garvin said:

Well I, for one, can't tell you how annoying it is to have people enter the bus lane before the end. Many's the time I have driven to the end of the bus lane and on trying to get into the left hand lane to turn left at the next junction a few yards futher on had complete nobs come streaking up the bus lane preventing a completely legal manoeuvre from taking place and causing inconvenience. I accept that waiting for buses/taxis in the lane to pass has to be endured but a stream of nob drivers all following them just causes my urine to exceeed 100C.

You got caught, stop bleating, cough up and learn to drive properly.

I am not "Bleating" on about anything I was merely asking a question. But people like you and others are turning this topic into something more than it is. As for learning to drive Don't question my driving abilities when you know absolutely nothing about me or my abilities. If you want to start talking like that I could turn around and say all those "nobs come streaking up the bus lane" Are probably doing perfectly legal manoeuvres its just you have not actually looked at the times the bus lane is in effect which quite often is only a few hours a day. You probably don't even know there are signs up telling you the times. And I was not streaking up anywhere I was doing something in a perfectly safe manner.

As for

JumboBeef said:

Is 'nearly at the end of the bus lane' as good a defence as 'nearly under the drink drive limit' or 'nearly under the speed limit' or 'I nearly paid all my taxes'...?

Well yes in a lot of circumstances it is to be honest. In most or a lot of rules there is a leeway. Speeding which you mention there is something like a 10% (I forget the exact figure) tolerance also If I am proving to pay my taxes and have paid most of them then I will not be just slapped with a fine the case will be looked into fairly. Drinking on the other hand is far more serious and very likely to cause death hardly the same as cutting in a few meters before the end of a bus lane.

It seems a lot of you people are getting far more 'worked' up about this than I myself am. Which actually i find quite amusing.

By the way Thanks to all those who have given sensible replies, good or bad it's all good
But those who are getting on their high horses its you that needs to get the life!!

[4rephill]

Mad Mark said:

To be honest I doubt I will get anywhere. The whole layout is probably set up to catch people out in this way. As you can see the camera is positioned in such a way as to not actually 'see' the main part of the bus lane just the part people will filter across to the near side for the lights.....

I think you've missed of this part of the sentence: "....illegally."

The lane next to the bus lane is clearly defined at the exact point that you are allowed to start to filter to turn left at the lights and you were in the bus lane long before that point.

Frankly, you've got no chance of getting any sort of result with contesting this, you're just wasting your time. The Law is clear about entering the bus lane (at any point), and you've clearly broken the Law.

As for:

Mad Mark said:

What is not so clearly visible in the pic is that the right hand filter lane had already started to fill with traffic which is why I pulled to the nearside when I did.

And that justifies you breaking the Law does it?

If there was no bus lane there, just a pavement, would you drive down the pavement to get to the empty left hand lane? or would you wait patiently until the left hand lane lane became available?

The Law is the same for both a bus Lane and a pavement - You cannot legally drive along any part of it.

[vonhosen]

Mad Mark said:

As for

JumboBeef said:

Is 'nearly at the end of the bus lane' as good a defence as 'nearly under the drink drive limit' or 'nearly under the speed limit' or 'I nearly paid all my taxes'...?

Well yes in a lot of circumstances it is to be honest. In most or a lot of rules there is a leeway. Speeding which you mention there is something like a 10% (I forget the exact figure) tolerance also If I am proving to pay my taxes and have paid most of them then I will not be just slapped with a fine the case will be looked into fairly. Drinking on the other hand is far more serious and very likely to cause death hardly the same as cutting in a few meters before the end of a bus lane.

It seems a lot of you people are getting far more 'worked' up about this than I myself am. Which actually i find quite amusing.

By the way Thanks to all those who have given sensible replies, good or bad it's all good
But those who are getting on their high horses its you that needs to get the life!!

The leeway isn't written in the law (10% for speeding etc doesn't exist - there's a line in the sand & that's it as far as the law is concerned). The choice in relation to discretion being applied lays with those who decide whether to report/prosecute. If they've sent you the ticket they've decided not to allow discretion.

[Red Devil]

Focused said:

I've heard in the past that road markings have to be clear, legible and correctly placed. Looking at the road markings, part of the 'L' of LANE is painted over by the yellow line. Also, the yellow line distance from the curb varies on the bus lane to after the bus lane. Anything illegal there?

Not AFAIK.

The only realistic chance of overturning this is, as I said earlier, to look very closely at the small print on the PCN to see if it is compliant. The law is very specific about what wording is permitted. There are plenty of examples of adjudicators overturning PCNs on grounds of procedural impropriety where the LA has got this wrong.

LAs may fold rather than incur the cost of going to PATAS/TPT and lose. If they don't it is a judgement call whether to risk having to pay £130 instead of £65 if the decision does go against you.

If th

[Gene Vincent]

Think of all the lives saved by the important extension of that bus lane beyond the 'natural' break of the road entering just prior to its stupid final end.

Just out of interest who exactly advises on the sort of idiocy that extends the bus lane beyond that junction?

Don't the police advise on this, don't they (whoever it is) have any common-sense at all?

Congestion causes frustration, the sort of frustration that this configuration right across numerous cities must cause accidents due to impatience yet all that happens is instead of the obvious idiocy being addressed and improved, you simply get a fine through the post.

I'd love to know the name of the idiot or the idiot body that can't be trusted with even the most stark example of stupidity.

You'll have to pay the fine, and add a further incremental lament at the thought that the system/authority is manned to the gunnels with the worthless and dumb.

[Red Devil]

Gene Vincent said:

Think of all the lives saved by the important extension of that bus lane beyond the 'natural' break of the road entering just prior to its stupid final end.

Just out of interest who exactly advises on the sort of idiocy that extends the bus lane beyond that junction?

Don't the police advise on this, don't they (whoever it is) have any common-sense at all?

Congestion causes frustration, the sort of frustration that this configuration right across numerous cities must cause accidents due to impatience yet all that happens is instead of the obvious idiocy being addressed and improved, you simply get a fine through the post.

I'd love to know the name of the idiot or the idiot body that can't be trusted with even the most stark example of stupidity.

You'll have to pay the fine, and add a further incremental lament at the thought that the system/authority is manned to the gunnels with the worthless and dumb.

It's not as idiotic as you claim. Look at the Google Maps view again. Where the bus lane ends is at a bus stop. If it was curtailed back to the side road it would frustrate the purpose of the preceding section as buses would then be blocked from reaching the stop by a line of cars.

At least the LA has had the sense not to make it 24/7 unlike one near where I live. That is utterly pointless outside the peak periods and serves no purpose other than an unnecessary reduction in road capacity and an opportunity to rake in some cash.

[Gene Vincent]

So what!

You don't need a bus lane to run up to a bus stop do you!

The totally inconsequential hold up 'if' the bus stops there is as nothing to the extension, which is permanent and thereby I stand on my assertion that there is little or no joined up thinking on this and likely thousands of similar road painted pictures of the collective moron at work in some building somewhere which is paid for by the public purse for the sole purpose, it seems, to frustrate and cause delay.

There is little excuse, considering just how smart humans can be for such authorities to revel in their collective stupidity and then compound it with petty-minded fines upon the very people that pay them for the express of NOT doing this.

In-ex-cuse-able.

[Red Devil]

Gene Vincent said:

So what!

You don't need a bus lane to run up to a bus stop do you!

Yes. No point in having it if not.

Gene Vincent said:

The totally inconsequential hold up 'if' the bus stops there is as nothing to the extension, which is permanent and thereby I stand on my assertion that there is little or no joined up thinking on this and likely thousands of similar road painted pictures of the collective moron at work in some building somewhere which is paid for by the public purse for the sole purpose, it seems, to frustrate and cause delay.

Stop frothing and get some perspective. It is only operational between 3pm and 7pm which covers the afternoon school run and the commuitng exodus from London. I don't class that as 'permanent'. Had you argued against the bus lane per se (i.e. in its entirety which is a different issue) then I would be receptive to your POV. You didn't, so I'm not.

[iphonedyou]

jimmy the hat said:

Not judging but on first glance I immediately thought you've dived into the bus lane to get there before the two cars in picture.

That may well say more about me than you, though.

Cheers, Jim

You didn't read the OP, did you?

[10 Pence Short]

Forgive me if I've missed it, but I can't see where the OP explained why he felt the need to enter the bus lane when he did?

[4rephill]

10 Pence Short said:

Forgive me if I've missed it, but I can't see where the OP explained why he felt the need to enter the bus lane when he did?

It was here:

Mad Mark said:

What is not so clearly visible in the pic is that the right hand filter lane had already started to fill with traffic which is why I pulled to the nearside when I did.

Basically he couldn't be arsed to wait a couple of seconds for the left had lane to become available so decided that the Law no longer applied to him as he could use the bus lane as a short-cut up to the junction.

Looking at the picture:



It appears that he's got inpatient behind the 4x4 which is indicating a right turn, and decided to enter the bus lane even earlier than he claims in order to not get held up by the 4x4 and beat the other traffic to the junction.

Frankly, trying to contest this is ridiculous as it's so obvious what the reality of the situation is from the pictures and the statements made by the OP.

[SmoothCriminal]

Oh come on op sorry but that's just bullst the right filter lane is never that full for you to go into the bus lane that early especially at 16:00 you got impatient with the other drivers and just cut in the bus lane.

[14-7]

You are no where near the end of the bus lane so stop moaning and pay up. It's hardly inconspicuous in its markings yet you are fully in it.