Bus lane fine! With pics.

[SunnyPineapple]

I just received a fine for going in this bus lane but think I should try to appeal it retrospectively ( DH says I can’t, as the leasing company have already paid it).

I was indicating left to get in lane to take the left turn, when a car undertook me meaning I had nowhere to go. My choices were:
A Stop dead well before the traffic lights and wait for him to pass
B carry on changing lane, across his path and hope he stopped
C Hold my path for a split second longer and move in behind him.

I chose C and clearly entered the bus lane for a second.

AIBU to think that this bus lane set is grossly unfair and maybe even unlawful because:
1 The lane for left turns only exists from the bus stop bay onwards ( there is no lane before the bus stop, it’s just a bay - you can see the bus stop markings in one of the pics). So drivers have a very short distance of a few meters to get in lane.
2 Surely bus lanes aren’t allowed to suddenly appear forcing motorists to change lane just before a set of lights.
3 The blue sign on the roadside seems to contradict the road markings ( the sign implies you can’t be in the left turn lane yet the road markings suggest the opposite!)

So AIBU? WWYD?

I think you should have done a modified A and slowed right down then moved over when you could. It sounds like you knew you shouldn't have been in the bus bit but did it anyway because of the other car, in which case you just made the wrong call. My answer would be different if you genuinely didn't know you weren't supposed to be in that section, but if that was the case then you would have moved over sooner, surely?

I would of just stopped, let him pass then crossed over.

But you can appeal, your lease company will have to do it on your behalf as your not the keeper etc

Totally sympathise. But if there was an option you could have taken to avoid the transgression then you are unlikely to win an appeal.

YABU

You slow down severely/stop if need be with your signal on to get into the correct lane. Cameras don't care why you were there, just that you're there. If you drove in the lane, you will be ticketed, end of. Everyone knows this.

@HSKAT and @zurala the problem was that he undertook me at speed and I had already planned to move across. Yes I knew I shouldn’t have been in the bus part but it would’ve been an emergency stop to avoid entering the first couple of metres of bus lane.
No comments on the fairness of the layout?
Interesting that I could still appeal.

Just pay the fine

Hope I am understanding it correctly.

You were wanting to get in the left lane to turn left, but the fine is only possible if you moved over whilst it was the very very end of a bus lane?

It is possible that the other car which sped past you whilst definitely in the bus lane tripped the camera, not you. But for some reason, you have mistakenly been sent the fine they should have gotten.

I would contest it a bit. I would write back and ask for photos showing you in your car in the bus lane. That you did not enter the bus lane as far as you know as you were consciously avoiding it. That you even had to wait to move over a lane because another car behind you which was in the bus lane was actively speeding and passed you on your left, and they probably tripped the camera, not you.

If the car you were driving had a dash cam and you or leasing company have footage, mention it.

I think I need a drawing for this.

@Sirius3030thank you but I would’ve thought doing an emergency stop on a green light would have been a more dangerous idea than the actual transgression.

actually @BlueOverYellow it’s interesting that you think it’s always so clear cut as bus lane fines are often unenforceable due to poor signage (note my comment about the blue sign).

Interesting that I could still appeal

There's nothing to stop anyone appealing, just don't expect them to accept it

It's a confusing set up, I've never seen anything like it before. But in your situation I'd have done option A I think, depending on how abruptly that stop would have had to have been to avoid the bus lane. If there was someone right behind me who hadn't left a safe distance, I'd have probably done what you did to avoid them going into the back of me. Hard to know though and depend on how much time and space you had to react.

Driver who undertook was a bit of a knob, though. He could have let you go in front.

Horrible layout but it seems pretty straightforward what you'd need to do

@Discovereads thats where the problem/ unfairness lies. The left lane that I needed to be in only came into existence about 20 metres before I was forced to change lane. I’ll upload a drawing..

Is this even a question? Of course you have to just stop and wait if another driver is being a bellend

Should have done A. How fast were you going that you think you would have had to do a dangerous emergency stop? There shouldn't have been anyone behind you unless there was a bus so you wouldn't have been holding anyone up as it looks like the straight on lane is to the right. If the lane had just appeared why hadn't you moved across straight away, I'm struggling to see that someone could have undertook you if you'd made the manoeuvre as soon as possible. Was it you only realised at the last minute you couldn't be in that lane to turn left?

Obviously the distances aren’t to scale but there was only a brief moment for me to change lanes and that when he undertook me.

Thank you for doing a drawing. Sorry to have trouble visualising the layout.

I can’t understand any of it! I think @Discovereads the other driver was never in the bus Lane. How do you go straight on?

I've never seen a layout like it, I bet they make loads of £ with fines

Unfortunately OP, looking at your drawing and the photos, option A is the answer. You're just pissed off that you didn't do that.

ok, so I had wrong conception of where the bus lane was. The lane you were in was turning into a bus lane. So ignore my first post.

I still think you can appeal but I would not accuse them of an unlawful bus lane or poor signage. I would ask for photos of you in the bus lane and say you will see a car right next to me, and how you could not safely change out of lane in time because a speeding car was overtaking you on the left.

As others have said the cameras don’t care, they just snap a photo of you, and the ticket/fine is issued by a computer. If you can show you were avoiding a road traffic accident, I think they can rescind the fine.

“According to the Highway Code, bus lanes should be easy to spot as they’ll be shown with road markings and signs that let you know which (if any) vehicles are allowed to use them.

Unless otherwise indicated, you shouldn’t drive in a bus lane during its period of operation unless:

There’s a blockage or obstruction in the road
There’s an emergency vehicle approaching
You need to avoid an accident

Bus lanes are usually marked by a solid or dashed white line. The dashed lines represent the start and the end of the lanes, while the solid white line runs between them.” www.carfinance247.co.uk/blog-post/how-to-appeal-a-bus-lane-fine

You were in the bus lane to avoid an accident.

Where did he pull out from, behind you?

From your diagram though, surely anyone behind you would also have to change lanes, therefore, would have had to stop anyway even though you didn't?

Also surely you slowed right down by that point anyway, how fast were you going that you would have had to do an emergency stop to be able to go in behind the other car?

Sorry but I'm struggling to see how you aren't at fault for the fine. I'm with your Husband to be honest. I'd just chalk it up to experience and move on, unless I'm missing something I'd find it highly unlikely you'd win an appeal