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The Scandal of Cardiff's Bus Lane |
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You will recall my tale of woe after being fined by Cardiff City Council for driving in one of their bus lanes. Well, after my letter to them detailing my suspicions I got a letter back, the contents of which you don't have to read, but I have included it here as one of the paragraphs says things like 'the onus is on motorists to drive only where they are permitted to do so.' That is a bit pompous really when you consider the blatant anomalies in their signage. It reads as follows:- 'I refer to your representations received on the 11th August 2016 in respect of the above penalty charge notice. In the City of Cardiff a vehicle is not permitted to travel within the confines of a marked bus lane without being a public service vehicle, hackney carriage or private hire vehicle, as defined by legislation. The evidence provided by the Civil Enforcement Officer using an approved CCTV device clearly shows your vehicle travelling using a restricted route. I am therefore satisfied that the penalty charge notice was served correctly. I note the reasons for your representations and must advise that the onus lies firmly with the motorist to drive only where they are permitted to do so. While I appreciate your comments, I must respectfully point out that it is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that they are aware of road regulations and signs in place and to ensure that bus lanes are not misused. I can confirm that Custom House Street has bus lanes on both sides of the carriageway which are indicated by regulatory signs at the vehicular entry points and the boundary is further outlined by a continuous white border. I can confirm that the carriageway markings and regulatory signs denoting the restrictions in force at the above location are set out in accordance with legislation. Driving in bus lanes disrupts the passage of public service vehicles and causes delays, congestion and eroding any advantage given to these vehicles. However, after taking into consideration your comments, on this occasion your representations have been accepted and I have cancelled the Penalty Charge Notice. In future please ensure you drive only where you are permitted to do so as further Notices issued under similar circumstances may not receive the same decision. As you paid the discounted penalty charge of £35 I have arranged for a refund to follow in due course.' I was actually infuriated by this not so much by their arrogant attitude where they say that they 'can confirm that the carriageway markings and regulatory signs denoting the restrictions in force at the above location are set out in accordance with legislation'. I knew that an arrow pointed the motorist into the bus lane but was not sure whether it was an old marking or not, nevertheless it should not have been there. So, I took a bus trip into Cardiff last Monday (I didn't want to go in the car in case I was caught somewhere else!) and what I found was extremely enlightening and quite damning. So I have written them a letter enclosing the following images and comments:- |
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This
is the start of the bus lane, as you can see the markings are
a bit worn but nevertheless it clearly shows the prohibited lane. |
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The
lane is coloured a bluey green but the colour is fading. No problem
though as the observant motorist sees the continuous line indicating
its existence. |
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The
SatNav is saying that the way you want to go is to the left but
your mind is telling you not to until you get to here where the
arrow clearly sends you to the left, also the continuous line
has changed to a dotted line. |
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Here
you are at the junction and that blue sign tells you that the
bus lane has ended. |
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I
have cropped the photograph to make it clear. |
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So
the left turn is made but it seems that the bus lane only stopped
for a few yards and the unsuspecting motorist carries on. |
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Until
he gets to here. and ...... |
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Unknown
to him a camera has taken a pretty picture of his car. He will
get this in the post within a few days, this is not a free gift
of course. It costs £70 reduced to £35 if it is paid
within 20 days or increased to £105 if unpaid after 28 days
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9th September 2016 Penalty charge No: QC71622939 Dear Sirs Thank you for the cheque refunding my penalty charge. In the meantime I have revisited Cardiff to see for myself the road markings approaching Custom House Street from Bute Street and I took photographs, these explain clearly to me how I made the fateful left turn which caused me to be issued with a penalty notice. Please could you clarify the purpose of the arrow in photo 3 which directs the motorist to the left. Also why does the continuous line change to a broken one at this point? And why is there a sign which clearly states ‘End of bus lane’, in other words why is there a break in what clearly is a continuous bus lane? My thinking at the present time is that the signage at this point constitutes a revenue earning trap. Your answer to the above questions may help me change my mind.
I shall let you know what reply I get but, on the face of it, at the moment it looks like an utter disgrace and not worthy of our capital city. We in Wales like to sing the song 'We'll keep a welcome in the hillside' and we mean it, meanwhile the Highwaymen's Department of Cardiff City Council prefer their own version - 'We'll keep a welcome in the bus lanes!' |
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