to be seriously annoyed at this (bus lane related!!)

[SomeDizzyWhore1804]

I have been driving the same way to work for over a year now. Minding my own business, never had any problems on this route.

I now find that I have recieved 3 penalty charge notices in a week for driving in a bus lane. Closer inspection finds that this so-called driving in a bus lane is actually the point at which I have to pull over from the right to left hand lane at a junction in order to go straight ahead rather than turn right. I can't be in the left hand lane the whole time because for around 3 miles before the junction the left hand lane really is a bus lane. It seems to be very undefined as to where it ends, even though I assumed it had ended in the place where I was driving because it is unsignposted and not a different colour to the rest of the road. And because it's the straight ahead bloody lane!!!

I am in London so very used to bus lanes and not driving in the buggers. This is the first time I have ever recieved anything like this- never been done for speeding or parking or anything.

I am fuming.

So is this a new camera that's just issuing penalties willy-nilly or can they actually do this? I cannot believe I now apparently owe the council £195 for driving to work and literally doing nothing wrong. Not obstructing anyone or going against a road sign. I am also afraid of accruing more fines unwittingly if this is a new thing that's going to start springing up.

Is it worth contesting this or should I just accept and pay it? It seems so unfair that I'm a law abiding motorist getting screwed here.

It sounds like a mistake. Challenge it.

I would (a) appeal these penalties immediately on the basis of inadequate signage etc;

(b) ring up the traffic dept at the council today and ask them to confirm exactly where you are allowed to change lanes.

I would appeal it.

This happened in Sutton a few years ago, where people had no choice but to cut across the bus lane to get into the road to B & Q.

We have bus lanes here and some of them are a bit sneaky in the run up to junctions - the colour (ours are green) stops, but the thick white line which is the actual definer of the bus lane continues until really very close to junctions. We have a main road with several roundabouts which has bus lanes on the outside - it's a chuffing nightmare

And there was a mighty cock up in Islington a few years back I think, with signs, markings and unenforceable penalties.

thispage may help. Is it a clear bus lane, did you drive in it for more than 20 metres, do they have photographic evidence?