£30 for driving down bus lane in Nottingham
Discussion
If you're driving around Nottingham be careful as there is a big operation going on at the moment.
Basically, I joined a big line of traffic, and there was an empty bus lane on the left of me. I wanted to turn left just down the road, and could see my junction. The bus lane was completely empty at this point with no buses in site.
So I went down the bus lane, when a policeman popped out onto the road and signalled for me to pull into a car park. There must've been about 10 police officers, and 15 cars already there. I had to queue for 10 minutes before I got given a ticket.
While I was there a few more cars had also been pulled into the car park. Only got a £30 fine with no points, but a very big operation. The policewoman warned me that they will be doing this over the next few weeks, so if you are driving around Nottingham be careful.
I did point out to the officer that I was going to be turning left, but she wasn't having it. Surely I was doing everyone a favour by not queuing up and causing futher traffic? Oh well, lesson learnt...
Basically, I joined a big line of traffic, and there was an empty bus lane on the left of me. I wanted to turn left just down the road, and could see my junction. The bus lane was completely empty at this point with no buses in site.
So I went down the bus lane, when a policeman popped out onto the road and signalled for me to pull into a car park. There must've been about 10 police officers, and 15 cars already there. I had to queue for 10 minutes before I got given a ticket.
While I was there a few more cars had also been pulled into the car park. Only got a £30 fine with no points, but a very big operation. The policewoman warned me that they will be doing this over the next few weeks, so if you are driving around Nottingham be careful.
I did point out to the officer that I was going to be turning left, but she wasn't having it. Surely I was doing everyone a favour by not queuing up and causing futher traffic? Oh well, lesson learnt...
You broke the law and got caught.
Yeah, maybe common sense should prevail but that's not what many of the authorities in in power for.
Also begs the question, how come you could see the junction (and it must've been close else you wouldn't have gone for it?) but not seen the BiB?
Anyway, not having a dig honest, you took a chance and got unlucky. We all make mistakes, if we're lucky we get let off, if not we don't.
Yeah, maybe common sense should prevail but that's not what many of the authorities in in power for.
Also begs the question, how come you could see the junction (and it must've been close else you wouldn't have gone for it?) but not seen the BiB?
Anyway, not having a dig honest, you took a chance and got unlucky. We all make mistakes, if we're lucky we get let off, if not we don't.
In my mind the police weren't doing their job here. As I can see it part of there remit is to prevent crime, not just let it happen and then tax the offenders. If they were doing their job properly they would have been standing out in plain sight which would have probably meant far fewer people would have nipped down the bus lane.
Just my opinion on 'operations' like these.
Just my opinion on 'operations' like these.
Apparently cameras are being installed in these and in cycle lanes all across the country so if you wander into one to avoid something else you can expect to get a fine in the post.
I had to speed up and change lanes on the M25 through roadworks to avoid being side swiped by a foreign lorry at the weekend and I went through a darn speed camera at +12mph over the 50 limit - it was that or be crushed!
I expect contesting minor deviations such as this for reasons of safety is like pissing in the wind!
I had to speed up and change lanes on the M25 through roadworks to avoid being side swiped by a foreign lorry at the weekend and I went through a darn speed camera at +12mph over the 50 limit - it was that or be crushed!
I expect contesting minor deviations such as this for reasons of safety is like pissing in the wind!
penryar said:
In my mind the police weren't doing their job here. As I can see it part of there remit is to prevent crime, not just let it happen and then tax the offenders. If they were doing their job properly they would have been standing out in plain sight which would have probably meant far fewer people would have nipped down the bus lane.
Just my opinion on 'operations' like these.
Do you think the OP would have started a topic, "Policeman standing next to bus lane in Nottingham"?Just my opinion on 'operations' like these.
Not likely. I'd feel pretty hard done by if I'd been done for £30 in this situation, but them's the breaks. In the meantime threads like these are doing way more prevention than PC Plod could stood in the rain.
and this in the 'Gun Capital' of England.. resources well spent, catch those dastardly bus lane drivers and ignore all the lead flying about in the air. the local police station must be like Fawlty Towers - "Morning Lads", "Morning Sarg" - "more bullets & drive past killings over night, so get out there and catch the real villains - the bus lane bandits..."
I love Fawlty Towers, are there curb side spectator seats available, we could all pop up there one Saturday evening and take our seats watching the police catch the bus lane bandits whilst listening to the bullets flying about in neighboring streets..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire...
I love Fawlty Towers, are there curb side spectator seats available, we could all pop up there one Saturday evening and take our seats watching the police catch the bus lane bandits whilst listening to the bullets flying about in neighboring streets..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire...
penryar said:
In my mind the police weren't doing their job here. As I can see it part of there remit is to prevent crime, not just let it happen and then tax the offenders. If they were doing their job properly they would have been standing out in plain sight which would have probably meant far fewer people would have nipped down the bus lane.
Just my opinion on 'operations' like these.
What drivers would learn from that is that they can get away with using the bus lane when there is no police standing in plain sight. The objective is for drivers to learn that if they use the bus lane then they might be stopped, held up for quite a while and fined. Your way we'd need policemen standing permanently by the bus lanes.Just my opinion on 'operations' like these.
These operations are periodic and I think you got caught in an operation looking for untaxed and unroadworthy vehicles. I was in the control room on the other end of the radio and the number of vehicles that were either untaxed, driver without insurance or licence or the vehicle being unroadworthy was quite surprising.
Granted you were unlucky to get caught driving in the bus lane, but there has been warning in the Evening Post that the bus lanes will be covered by CCTV and persons found to be driving in them will get a fine and points through the post.
As for the notion of Nottingham being the gun crime capital in England, not quite true. Manchester, Leeds and London have more gun related crime. There are very very few genuine firearms incidents in Nottingham and it is falling year to year
Granted you were unlucky to get caught driving in the bus lane, but there has been warning in the Evening Post that the bus lanes will be covered by CCTV and persons found to be driving in them will get a fine and points through the post.
As for the notion of Nottingham being the gun crime capital in England, not quite true. Manchester, Leeds and London have more gun related crime. There are very very few genuine firearms incidents in Nottingham and it is falling year to year
even in the news
you've got to think i bet everyone said they were going ot turn left.. even although your telling the truth the police obviously have gone to zero tollerence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7099631.stm
you've got to think i bet everyone said they were going ot turn left.. even although your telling the truth the police obviously have gone to zero tollerence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7099631.stm
even in the news
you've got to think i bet everyone said they were going ot turn left.. even although your telling the truth the police obviously have gone to zero tollerence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7099631.stm
you've got to think i bet everyone said they were going ot turn left.. even although your telling the truth the police obviously have gone to zero tollerence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7099631.stm
Just a few points which spring to mind:
1. The cost of all those public servants doing such vital work must have been enourmous.
2. They could have been doing something more important but no doubt government targets dictate that this easy work earns the same points as criminal investigation (i.e solving of real crimes)
3. The bus lane was probably created from a lane already paid for by the motorist originally for use by cars, and its creation has no doubt narrowed the road to create congestion / wasted fuel / wasted time
4. To be able to see clearly ahead down the bus lane and not impede a bus (given there wasn't one) can hardly warrant a fine or any other form of punishment, only a small-minded rule-bound dimwit unable to appreciate the possibility that one may be able to think for oneself would think otherwise.
1. The cost of all those public servants doing such vital work must have been enourmous.
2. They could have been doing something more important but no doubt government targets dictate that this easy work earns the same points as criminal investigation (i.e solving of real crimes)
3. The bus lane was probably created from a lane already paid for by the motorist originally for use by cars, and its creation has no doubt narrowed the road to create congestion / wasted fuel / wasted time
4. To be able to see clearly ahead down the bus lane and not impede a bus (given there wasn't one) can hardly warrant a fine or any other form of punishment, only a small-minded rule-bound dimwit unable to appreciate the possibility that one may be able to think for oneself would think otherwise.
Nottingham has many buslanes that end about three car lengths from a junction or roundabout. It makes it very hard to turn left at these as there is always about ten cars already in the bus lane. On a different note I ended up driving in to a trams only bit tonight, I was following a tram and trying to avoid drunken students and rounded a bend to find a trams only sign. A bit more notice would have been nice.
Lostusernamedamn said:
Just a few points which spring to mind:
1. The cost of all those public servants doing such vital work must have been enourmous.
2. They could have been doing something more important but no doubt government targets dictate that this easy work earns the same points as criminal investigation (i.e solving of real crimes)
3. The bus lane was probably created from a lane already paid for by the motorist originally for use by cars, and its creation has no doubt narrowed the road to create congestion / wasted fuel / wasted time
4. To be able to see clearly ahead down the bus lane and not impede a bus (given there wasn't one) can hardly warrant a fine or any other form of punishment, only a small-minded rule-bound dimwit unable to appreciate the possibility that one may be able to think for oneself would think otherwise.
Seems like from the link, an awfull lot of vehicles in Nottingham are abusing the bus lanes. If they were to abide by the rules, then none of this would of course be needed. Hopefully others whom read the local papers in Nottingham will take heed.1. The cost of all those public servants doing such vital work must have been enourmous.
2. They could have been doing something more important but no doubt government targets dictate that this easy work earns the same points as criminal investigation (i.e solving of real crimes)
3. The bus lane was probably created from a lane already paid for by the motorist originally for use by cars, and its creation has no doubt narrowed the road to create congestion / wasted fuel / wasted time
4. To be able to see clearly ahead down the bus lane and not impede a bus (given there wasn't one) can hardly warrant a fine or any other form of punishment, only a small-minded rule-bound dimwit unable to appreciate the possibility that one may be able to think for oneself would think otherwise.
If we all did it, the bus's would be clogged up again, at most they are trying to get an awfull amount of people to their destinations at quickly as possible. Whereas those who choose to chance it in their vehicle, are only trying to get ONE PERSON to the destination.
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