Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

AIBU to contest this bus lane fine?

40 replies

SpringCleanDiva · 21/04/2021 09:42

On Monday I got a parking ticket for £100. That is OK because I wasn't actually there for the time they said, so I won't have to pay for that. It was a ticket for dropping off someone at the station and then leaving and they said I stayed there 8 hours.

Yesterday I got a £60 fine for driving down a bus lane. Here is what happened. I dropped my DC off at school. The city has taken it upon itself to close many roads, completely block them off. I was stuck in a traffic jam for 1 hour for 200m. I then went to a shopping center and the road was blocked off due to road works. I then had to drive around the whole city to get there, being constantly diverted to other roads as they were all closed. On the way back I was diverted round the houses again and ended up driving up a one-way road over a bridge that has now turned out to be a bus lane. There was no other road to drive down!!!!

Do you think I can contest this due to the absolute stress and inconvenience the city council has caused as a result of closing roads to make it more pedestrianised and their massive road works on the roads that are left?

OP posts:

toocold54 · 21/04/2021 12:38

I would take a photo of the bus lane still if it is not clearly visible that it says it’s a bus lane but it is very rare that they will let you off unless the writing is almost non existent. They won’t accept that you followed your sat nav either.

Original poster

SpringCleanDiva · 21/04/2021 12:46

I know the car park fine is irrelevant. It was just a bit of a rant about getting 2 fines in 2 days.

OP posts:

emilyfrost · 21/04/2021 12:54

YABU. The onus is on you to make sure you’re driving correctly; you can’t blame anyone else.

Xiaoxiong · 21/04/2021 13:26

If you followed the council's diversion signs and they took you down a bus lane - YANBU.

If you followed your satnav and it took you down a bus lane - YABU.

Aprilx · 21/04/2021 13:42

I find it difficult to believe that the diversions directed you into a bus lane, it seems more likely you were confused and went wrong. As such, this is something you will have to put accept as one of those things.

KihoBebiluPute · 21/04/2021 13:50

Given that you were following satnav then yes yabu - it is well known that satnav is unreliable and sends people on all sorts of incorrect routes. In our city (one of the others mentioned on this thread) there are loads of buses-only junctions where you can only go through as a bus, and satnav is useless as it hasn't been updated with this knowledge and always directs you through these illegal routes. If you aren't driving in such a way that you can observe and obey all road signage then you aren't driving safely and the fine is correct.

BlackCatShadow · 21/04/2021 13:55

@sbhydrogen

You've nothing to lose from trying! Good luck.

I suspect if she appeals and loses, the fine will go up. It’s a shitty system. Probably better to just pay up unless you can prove otherwise.

Cocomarine · 21/04/2021 13:59

Now that you’re being your satnav into it, I’m even more dubious that it was incorrectly signed and not your fault. Especially as you say it had bus lane painted on the road!
You can’t ever rely on satnav.

user1491404899 · 21/04/2021 14:19

You followed your sat nav therefore you are at fault ...you've no chance of appeal.

Ariela · 21/04/2021 14:23

In Reading there is a very short stretch of road that is a bus lane. If you are following a double decker bus in heavy slow traffic, you cannot actually see the signs to say that straight on is a bus lane due to them being obscured by the bus and the roof of your car. The only sign you DO see is one pointing to your left that says All Other Traffic - at that point I realised they'd changed the road status since I'd last driven it many years previously, but I got fined as I had travelled half way onto the short bus lane behind the bus before seeing the sign and going left. It's not a defensible excuse as I found out.

Rillington · 21/04/2021 14:24

You can't be very alert if you didn't see a bus lane sign.

VeganVeal · 21/04/2021 14:26

Take the sav nav manufacturer to the small claims court, they shouldn't be allowed to get away with this

isitjustlockdown · 21/04/2021 14:31

As you followed the say nav and not the official diversions there is not a lot you can do apart form pay it and learn for next time.

Most say navs have disclaimers about the driver needed to check for signs/restrictions/road closures etc.

SeaTurtles92 · 21/04/2021 14:33

Ah so you actually followed your sat nav and not actually the road diversions. YABU and you'll have to pay. It's pretty obvious OP when you're coming up to/through a bus lane.

LesserBother · 21/04/2021 14:37

If the signage is there then you don't really have any grounds to appeal, it doesn't matter how many diversions taken, or how long you'd been stuck in a queue beforehand.

People get stuck on the tram bridge semi regularly in Nottingham and try and complain there isn't enough signage!

Flip

1 2