So it's the 23rd of Dec, a stupidly wet and rain/wind swept day. I've just turned right into a dual carriage urban approach to a roundabout. I'm not in this bit of town that often and it's dark, windy and blowing a hoolie. Pretty much, eyes out for people and other cars amid the weather. I see a sign showing the three lanes onto the roundabout. Left is my direction... I go into the left lane with the big left arrow as per sign.

 

I head left... then I spot the remains of road markings... am I in a lane? It's only about 4 lengths to the stationary car in front... well today I know. It was a bus lane. Photos make it clear, on the ground it's dam near impossible to tell with the rain, traffic etc. Also of note the street lights were not working...

 

This is only my second 'penalty' ever so I'm still on the hurmph and what tf high.

 

From the stupidly indistinct photo, you can sort of make out car shapes, my reg is clear; convenient, they got the car colour wrong mind. 

 

Map link... 

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.373309,-1.4808633,3a,75y,32.12h,71.45t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slEtFbYxqGTqaB0Ebtr5sBg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

The photo they have is me just past the 40mph marker, I must of merged in after the blue sign... so fair... I'm in it.

 

So I've merged in after that dam sign by the 40mph post.... clear as day in the day. The sign showing left lane is visible, being black on white up ahead is where I'm looking, not at the tarmac under my bonnet. hey ho...

 

So I can appeal it, takes 2 to 3 weeks, handy that as you've got 14 days to pay at reduced rate.

 

I'm coming down on paying it, counting it a as £30 tax/donation to the council so they can waste it somewhere.

 

I did read some posts on merging left to turn left there is some leeway, if 20m, then that's 4 car lengths... but no idea how valid an argument that is in light of weather. And of course 14days to pay £30 versus £60 if I so much as question it... 

I'm calm now :D

Received 2 in the past 6 months for a careless family member in the infamous Bus Gate in Glasgow, vehicle was registered to me so paid them as they were not availble to.

They think there is another coming from the Christmas shopping period but that will now be in their mail so the full price will be needing paid if there is a penalty notice.

I'm still traumatised by my parking run-in with the Harringay council

It involves not realising there was a requirement to scratch out not just the month, day, and hour ........but the year as well

Whilst paying asap I suddenly realised that I needed to put out a new , correctly completed new one

Too late!

Appeal? Not so much as a reply to it

£80 + £130

Expensive parking for 3 days

 

So I can appeal it, takes 2 to 3 weeks, handy that as you've got 14 days to pay at reduced rate.

 

If/when you appeal it *should* pause the 14 day reduced rate until such time as the appeal is successful or rejected. Give them a ring and check.

What day and time is on the photo?

The 23rd, a friday and 17:0# bang in the middle of the block, but being a friday before christmas hardly any traffic  :) I checked that too... if only I'd read a few more packaging labels ;) SWMBO should pay it.. I was on her business. I'm sure the MI6 agents get to use that excuse while out on business. It will be a good day as I wasn't alone.

 

What's cheeky is, because it's a royal mail letter, it's counted as delivered. So the clock starts from the 6th, arrived today. So in reality it's more like an 11day challenge window. I might ask them to post the other 296 pages of the document as only pages 1 and 2 of 298 are here :D

 

Good to know the clock might stop... It's a fifty/fifty gamble on 30quid... more than I've ever bet before. Not sure the appeal is strong, given I am in the lane... contra is mostly circumstantial, like weather and no lights, so what I ask myself. 

Colin,

 

Eccy Road - Nightmare!  Might be worth checking exactly where you are physically in the photo - there is usually some leeway as you say and if you do appeal it'll go to an independent who may just rule with you given the state of the road markings there at present and weather etc.  (get a photo of the condition now before Amey get out there and re-line it all!).  Also check the blue signs are there are present and correct etc. and there are no broken white lines as that would require  further signage beyond the break.

 

Also as above what time were you in there...   it's only a part-time bus-lane.

 

I know SCC have had a lot of issues with bus gates and lanes historically as the signage and lining wasn't up to scratch and was therefore unenforceable but that may have changed as a result of a 'review' I was involved with for them some time ago...

 

Edit - forgot to mention - for me the thing that grates is that there is a bus lane down the whole of that section of the main route into town (so two lanes down to one at peak times) for a sum total of 18 buses an hour!!! - madness!

Edited 10 January, 20179 yr by skomaz

BTW: York re-introduced the Coppergate traffic ban yesterday - the one that was found faulty in 2015, leading to fraudulently taking £385000 that they were ordered to repay.

It would be interesting to know how much ( or little ) was actually paid back.

You should appeal

if the signs were poorly illuminated as there was a similar case in Newcastle

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/drivers-caught-newcastle-bus-lane-12022595.amp?client=ms-android-motorola

Edited 10 January, 20179 yr by wiilydog

I would appeal.

Ive gotten 3 parking tickets over the years - one for failure to Pay and Display, but i got that cancelled as it was issued less than 8mins before the time stamp on the PnD docket i sent in - if you paid up within 10mins of the ticket time it gets counted as fair enough you had to get change for the meter.

Ticket 2 - parking in a residents area without a permit in Edinburgh. It was outside my friends house where i was overnighting before an saturday morning flight home. The ticket was time stamped at 9.04am, i left for the airport at 914!! I paid that one :( and then i got done in swmbo's car for parking in a loading bay while i ran to collect a prescription. Couldnt contest that one.. there was signs i just didnt see them when i parked :s

I would appeal.

Ive gotten 3 parking tickets over the years - one for failure to Pay and Display, but i got that cancelled as it was issued less than 8mins before the time stamp on the PnD docket i sent in - if you paid up within 10mins of the ticket time it gets counted as fair enough you had to get change for the meter.

Ticket 2 - parking in a residents area without a permit in Edinburgh. It was outside my friends house where i was overnighting before an saturday morning flight home. The ticket was time stamped at 9.04am, i left for the airport at 914!! I paid that one :( and then i got done in swmbo's car for parking in a loading bay while i ran to collect a prescription. Couldnt contest that one.. there was signs i just didnt see them when i parked :s

It was my fault for not knowing that there was a 'year' component to the parking scratchie

When I described my situation via email I was further penalised for late payment with not so much as an email acknowledgement and being back in Oz didn't help either.

B........s

They have to get the vehicle description correct; if your V5 says "blue" and the NIP says "green" then that's grounds for an appeal in itself, even without mitigation (There was a similar sounding bus lane in Nottingham that forced vehicles going to the then "Nottingham Gateway Hotel" (now called "Double Tree by Hilton - Nottingham Gateway) to start their turn from lane 2 and potentially turn across the front of a bus).

I've paid it. Not because I couldn't appeal. I do think I could, although I am in the bus lane, fairs fair.... but more for the fact that if I did appeal, it's going to be smack ( 2/3 ) weeks when I'm in scotland and birmingham, and really for me it's not worth the hassle if I miss the updates. That is on reflection for me this month, £30 is better than £60, but worse than £0... I'll just skip my Postal run, post run pork pie 37 times.

 

So roll me over & tickle my tummy. I've left words with the roads dept and will write a letter... Thats my donation to the state of the councils woes done for this year. 

 

Got to the bottom of the mysterious 298 page document... I called them and asked for the other pages,, after about 20mins I got bored of asking them to check with more people :) When I offered is it the mail merge counter and you sent out 149 fine notices that day, we got a click, from the light bulb. 

Haven't seen any mention of http://forums.pepipoo.com/ .

Might have been worth asking for help on there .

Every day is a school day, hadn't heard of them before :) Good for future self.

For anyone asking about speeding, say little and remove identifying data when posting on open Peppipoo forums, as there's at least one "professional witness" who troll forums like that looking for info to use against you .