The Lemon Fool

I just received a PCN for a misdemeanour.

I turned into a one-way street (Dudley Road in Tunbridge Wells), parked, paid in a cheque to my bank from a ninety-five year old, then motorbiked home.

Dudley road is, as I say, one-way. When I left I had therefore only one way to go.

At the end of Dudley Road there is a sign saying right-turn only. I turned right.

At that point a camera photographed me because the road I turned into was a time-restricted road. My PCN cites the picture and says I was in a bus lane. £70 or £35 if paid quickly. So, what I am reading from this is that a local council can charge £35 from any dope that makes the mistake of turning into a one-way-street, whose exit is restricted.

csearle wrote:
At that point a camera photographed me because the road I turned into was a time-restricted road.

A WHAT???!!!!

I've never heard of such a thing. I clearly need to get up to speed (to use a possibly inappropriate term....)

Hi csearle

There's a councillor here admitting it's not properly marked, so hopefully you can use that to get the fine revoked?

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/tunbridge- ... es-285399/

Mike, this nonsense is going on everywhere now. I don't drive anymore but I'd be checking routes nearly daily if I did.

csearle wrote:
At that point a camera photographed me because the road I turned into was a time-restricted road. My PCN cites the picture and says I was in a bus lane. £70 or £35 if paid quickly. So, what I am reading from this is that a local council can charge £35 from any dope that makes the mistake of turning into a one-way-street, whose exit is restricted.

According to the article it wasn't the act of turning right, but continuing along that road instead of turning left off it and avoiding the restriction. It doesn't appear you had no alternative and were therefore unable to avoid it. If that necessity is not, or is poorly, signed then that would be the route of appeal I suppose.

dealtn wrote: If that necessity is not, or is poorly, signed then that would be the route of appeal I suppose.

I got off a parking ticket once by taking a photograph of the sign obscured by a tree branch. Which it was if you took the photo at a very specific angle

But this camera enforcement malarkey is getting out of control. It doesn't happen in the US because there the camera has to also capture a clear image of the driver's face. Otherwise the owner/driver can credibly deny he/she was driving and (unlike here) does not have to incriminate another person.

If only we had a bill of rights here . .

Mike4 wrote:A WHAT???!!!!

I've never heard of such a thing. I clearly need to get up to speed (to use a possibly inappropriate term....)

Sorry Mike, just my bad terminology. It was apparently a bus lane (although you wouldn't think it to look at it), which is only active at certain times of day.

I simply didn't notice the little signs as I went straight on here. If I recall correctly I was concentrating on my left because I had to give way to any traffic, then just zoomed off. I don't go this way very often. Also this restriction never used to exist.

Sunnypad wrote:There's a councillor here admitting it's not properly marked, so hopefully you can use that to get the fine revoked?

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/tunbridge- ... es-285399/

Thank you for that.

dealtn wrote:According to the article it wasn't the act of turning right, but continuing along that road instead of turning left off it and avoiding the restriction. It doesn't appear you had no alternative and were therefore unable to avoid it. If that necessity is not, or is poorly, signed then that would be the route of appeal I suppose.

Yes in the cool light of day I now realise my mistake.

Chris

Sunnypad wrote:There's a councillor here admitting it's not properly marked

Don't think they actually said that, but was just saying what they thought the electorate would want to hear.

As for the signs - https://goo.gl/maps/4FYHgk4Nua77yZvv8 and https://goo.gl/maps/3LZ67sAkFvb2xhnE8

AF62 wrote:As for the signs - https://goo.gl/maps/4FYHgk4Nua77yZvv8 and https://goo.gl/maps/3LZ67sAkFvb2xhnE8

Yes the first of those is pretty close Dudley Road. I was looking left to check for traffic when turning out of Dudley Road then looking at the people milling around the pavements at either end of the zebra crossing. I didn't see this little sign either.

The other signs are probably about adequate for someone not familiar with the area paying particular attention to the signage, but I contend that they are inadequate to alert someone familiar with the area to a physically small yet major change.

If the road had been marked BUS LANE, or red, or in some way visually different to how it has looked for a long time then I might have realised. Grrrrh!

Chris

A road that's just had an access change like this should be clearly marked on all approaches as well. I'd certainly be appealing this one. The signs should be mahousive.

Sunnypad wrote:A road that's just had an access change like this should be clearly marked on all approaches as well. I'd certainly be appealing this one. The signs should be mahousive.

Yes I will appeal it. Looking back on Streetview from previous imagery I see that the little signs have been there at least a couple of years! So that rather messes up my case.

Nevertheless much of that time was in a pandemic and apparently they have only just started enforcing this restriction. I agree though that they should make it MUCH more obvious that a change to the enforcement has happened and it should be made abundantly clear that you are entering a bus lane! C.

csearle wrote:

Sunnypad wrote:A road that's just had an access change like this should be clearly marked on all approaches as well. I'd certainly be appealing this one. The signs should be mahousive.

Yes I will appeal it. Looking back on Streetview from previous imagery I see that the little signs have been there at least a couple of years! So that rather messes up my case.

but of course if someone was vsisiting RTW for the very first time ever (or for 30 years ...) it doesnt matter how long the signs have been there

The bit on the sign "except ... for access to off - street premises". That wording is a bit awkward.

Presumably your destination wasn't on Mount Pleasant Road? So it was "off" that street then?

Scott.