Bus lane fine

There is one in Reading that appeared a few years back, Duke St to London St, which used to be a well used route for me to go to my parents. As an out of towner, I didn't know it had become a bus lane, and I followed a bus onto it. Unfortunately, the road sign that said it was a bus lane was unable to be viewed by the first car behind a bus - because the bus means you couldn't actually see the sign was there till you are alongside it and thus cannot read it, due to the narrowness of the road necessitating the sign being immediately adjacent to the road, and when you travel down there at 2mph in traffic you are not leaving more than a car length gap between vehicles. I had no clue it had changed to bus lane (for a mere 12ft of road), but still paid the fine.

I got a speeding fine driving in the Peaks on holiday once. I was caught at 37 in a 30 because I thought it was still 40. I’m absolutely convinced that the 30mph sign was obscured by trees because it was unfamiliar roads and the speed was changing so regularly so I was being super vigilant looking for signs.

It was coming into a more built up area, but there were no pavements or streetlights so no other indication it would be 30 yet. When I looked back at Google maps there was a sign about 200m before the speed camera, and it was visible but there were trees around.

Unfortunately it was hundreds of miles from where I live so I couldn’t go back to check to see if the trees were more overgrown than they had been when google had been round so I just had to take it on the chin, but I was so annoyed because of how careful I’d been the whole time we were away.

Sometimes you’ve just got to suck it up!

Completely agree, they are simply to raise revenue. On a road near me the restriction times that you can use the bus lane change every few hundred metres.

Local people like me know and don't use them at all. If you are in one you are allowed to use, you can find yourself in one that you can't very easily and you can't pull out quickly enough because the outside lane is busy.

The pay quickly reduced fine is exactly the same as timed sales, it's designed to apply psychological pressure so you comply easily.

Our government isn't doing anything near enough to protect the UK public from unscrupulous companies like APCOA. You can't pay at several airports anymore in cash or by card for drop off parking, you have to pay parking online within 24 hours of visiting. Just like the bus lines it's designed to catch people out, you're having a busy airport day, the chances of forgetting are high. The same at Manchester airport, although there it's double jeopardy because if you pull into the drop off zone to pick up and pay, you will still get fined. The areas are next to each other and not segregated. They've even fined disabled people who are supposed to be able to use it for free.

Yet you go abroad and airport pick up and drop offs are free, but our governments are becoming more and more like the US, in thrall to big business rather than keeping them in check.

Look at the absolute state of the vetinary industry. Its a total scam. 70 percent price increases between 2016 and 2023. 60 per cent of vets own by huge conglomerates, one of which is enriching the lichtenstein royal family at the expense of working people in the UK.

Councils are using the same tactics. They've employed firms to go round fining people for fly tipping. That includes someone who was doing some building and had their own materials stored in their own front garden! But again it was the pay up or you will have to spend a fortune in court scare tactics.

Our political leaders are allowing us to be screwed over to make the filthy rich even filthier.

All of our politicians.

Been caught out in two unfamiliar cities when trying to find the ruddy hotel! In the first city it was dark and its then stressful driving around and around with the satnav spouting nonsense!

I had to pay up to avoid delay but I did appeal, albeit unsuccessfully. The councils just want the money and don’t care that you didn’t intentionally end up in a bus lane.

As others have said, have a look on Google and do a street view search. You can literally 'travel' along the street to see what's there. If you think you have grounds to appeal based on insufficient signage, I would be tempted to get advice from Legal Beagles first - it's a forum where people can ask questions on topics such as this and you will get some sound advice. I was able to successfully appeal a PCN using guidance from some very knowledgeable people on there. Good luck.

Drivers in London win over half of appeals against bus lane fares. I am not a driver but I admire the tenacity of people who spend time and money on this!

Yeah, the Swindon one, as a pp mentioned above, has multiple massive signs warning that you can't turn unless you're a bus, the tarmac is red. It couldn't be more obvious, so how that can be "a money making scheme" for the council I don't know. If people used their eyes and brains when driving (rather than just seeing a car park and mindlessly taking the first turning they see), it wouldn't happen and there'd be no money to be made.

I also got fined for driving in a bus lane.When I went back to check, it was well signed. but only up on stands and at the point where the traffic was incredibly busy. I was too busy watching the cars coming at me from all directions to be reading signs above my head!

I paid up, but now refuse to drive anywhere in that region now because they are constantly changing where the lanes are and I can't guarantee that I'll see the signs in time.

Sorry, OP! Yes, it sucks. I was once driving through an unfamiliar area and processed the 'no cars between 07:00-09:00' sign a second too late. Hit the brakes and reversed back up the road, but council said I'd gone past the signs (I had, by about half a metre) and wouldn't waive the fine. It was 08:55, too. 🤷

DH got caught In Reading once.

its hard when you don’t know area well

so sorry OP

Sounds like a lot of hassle and stress for the sake of £35 tbh. I know that’s what they hope people say, but I just couldn’t be bothered with it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kj1zrkp20o

Preston Bus gate generates £1m in fines in three months

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/24797698.thousands-drivers-fined-poor-parking-bus-lane-use/
Swindon
Many of the 23,225 penalty charge notices sent to people spotted by bus lane cameras and camera cars around the Swindon borough between April 2023 and April 2024 came from the same road – 13,761 from a zone known as ‘Penzance Drive 1’ and 3,340 more from ‘Penzance Drive 2’.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-67766818
Manchester bus lane fines make £10m from one city street

There is more than likely signage, there has to be, how clear it is, is another question. Use Google maps street view to check in the run up to the bus lane.

The other half ended up in a bus route when driving in a new town and the sign was blocked by a bus he found on his dash cam and was able to appeal but that was probably lucky coincidence and the appeal person feeling generous that got rid of that one.

Do you have a dash cam to check?

I thought if you appealed the timer on how much you pay is paused till you have an outcome????? Is it not? Never needed to appealmone myself personally

Df got caught in one in Oxford and he realised straight away but the only way he could get back was to go in another bus lane- so 2 fines!

There was a bus lane in Cambridge that both dd1 and dd2 got caught out with turning into a Tescos. It was very unclear where the bus lane finished and the turning bit started especially with the traffic. I believe it has been changed now as it really was a massive money maker!

They're trying to deter people who have no grounds to appeal from wasting their time or trying their luck. Processing, investigating and responding an appeal takes time and resources, so it needs to be paid for.

You should only appeal if you are certain the fine was issued in error, and can prove it.

I successfully appealed a bus lane fine. I was in a city I didn't know well and the weather was atrocious (you could see the rain coming down in stair rods on the photo). My appeal was based on the fact that I didn't know the city, the poor visibility, lack of clear signage and that I moved out of the bus lane as soon as I realised I was in it. I think if you're not a local you probably have a better chance of a successful appeal. Good luck!

You can still appeal. They ‘pause’ the fine. They only increase for non-payment.

The "discount" reflects the costs to the taxpayers of having to deal with the extra cost of an appeal.

It's also common in criminal cases too - people who admit fault and save the costs of a trial often receive lesser sentences.

I bet it’s north station road Colchester, barely there markings for bus lane and unclear signage. People have been complaining about that for years, if you’re new to the area then it is confusing. I don’t think I blame you OP. I would definitely try to appeal x although you will probably lose. The coucil won’t do anything about it :( it brings in hundreds of thousands in fines

Could you check on google maps (go onto street view) and see what the road is called according to google maps (if you remember where you wet).

There is a page on the council website that shows all the bus lane / bus gate locations and has photos of the location/signage and drive through videos, which may help you decide whether to appeal or not. Although when I looked at some they weren’t as well positioned or obvious as they could be. They can probably argue the signage is there but some of it could be better.
https://www.essexhighways.org/bus-lane-enforcement#locations

I seem to pick up a bus lane fine every time I drive to Manchester. My former tenant (local to the city) seems to have a similar problem, because I was forwarding the v distinctive envelopes to him for weeks after his tenancy ended! It has put me off going there tbh. I have been driving in cities for over 30 years and have entirely managed to avoid bus lane fines for that whole time, which rather suggests it's a money-making racket and/or designed to keep motorists away.

There's one near us that brings in many many thousands for the council every year. We got stung when DD was a learner driver and just reacted to my husband's instruction to change lane a bit quicker than he expected. They say they have discretion - she was clearly a learner driver in the pics, she moved over a few metres early, that's all. I thought it was really mean and unnecessary of them.

However, £35 is half a tank of petrol. Just pay it and move on. Don't waste any more time or money on it than you have to.

I agree with this. I got done for being in a bus lane at 17.58 (bus lane is 4-6pm) You can see from the picture, the angle of my vehicle, the indicator on, I was changing lanes to turn left at the junction that was about 20 yards ahead and I’d moved over about 2 seconds too early. I appealed but they rejected it. The bus lane is about half a mile long but the camera is right before the bit where there is a junction. Definitely about making money.