Good old Glasgow bus lanes.

[AJRFulton]

Is this worth appealing, or just pay up.

 

Glasgow is pretty draconian when it comes to bus lanes, and I don't really know the city centre all that well these days as I so rarely drive in it.

 

I've came up Hope Street, and turned right on West George Street (alien to those who don't know Glasgow). There is what appears to be a Private Hire half in half between the left and middle lane. To me after turning, I've no real 'safe' option but to use the bus lane to give the car its room (as a door could open, or anything). After passing this car I simply had to move into the middle lane, as I was going straight on, and the bus lane becomes a filter lane for a right hand turn. I couldn't of been in the bus lane for much more than 25m

 

 

The bus lane marking on the tarmac you see in the streetview pictures, is the same one as the third black and white photo

 

That is what the road looks like from where I was turning right

 

That is what the road looks like, looking down the street (without parked cars on the left)

 

and that is the bottom of the road, showing the filter lanes (I was going straight on)

 

 

I dunno. I feel a wee bit mugged by this.

 

Worth appealling?

Edited January 24, 2014 by AJRFulton

[glrnet]

Cat and Hell spring to mind

[AJRFulton]

Unfortunately that is what I think.

 

What are you supposed to do if there is a car stopped taking up half your lane though?

Edited January 24, 2014 by AJRFulton

[GMballistic]

I'd try to appeal that stating your case as you mentioned you where trying to safely pass a vehicle "parked" in your lane ~ you may not have much of a chance but you'll never know unless you try & it could save you £60.

[ioneabee]

the car in front wasn't that far over though

from the photo, it does look like you were well and truely cruising along in the bus lane - sorry

[Stutopia]

I'm confused. Where are you supposed to be if the cars are parked in the car lane? Is it just the red bit you're not allowed in?

 

Always worth an appeal if it doesn't come with an increased penalty risk. Something about "leaving room for parked car doors to open combined with it gives you more angle/space to see pedestrians in between parked vehicles"? Sounds a bit weak when I write it down.

 

Is that parked car even in a legit space? Looks like it's snuck on the end of the spaces "forcing" you into the red. It's well this side of the bin.

 

 

[AJRFulton]

the car in front wasn't that far over though

from the photo, it does look like you were well and truely cruising along in the bus lane - sorry

 

I couldn't be.

 

I'm going straight on, and the lane I am in is right turn only, I have to move left before the traffic lights.

 

I'm actually wrong in my thinking tracing my route. I've turned right from Hope Street onto West George Street (that is gobbleygook to those who don't know Glasgow lol)

 

 

that's what I've did, I've turned right at that junction, onto a bus lane, seen a car half and half in the lanes, and stayed where I was before moving left, as said I would have to move left after I am past that car to avoid ending up in the 'right turn' filter lane. (shown)

 

Edited January 24, 2014 by AJRFulton

[AJRFulton]

Is that parked car even in a legit space? Looks like it's snuck on the end of the spaces "forcing" you into the red. It's well this side of the bin.

 

It looks like a Private Hire, as it appears to have a badge, so probably stopped to let folk out, or pick up. It's 8pm on a Sunday night, so nothing too unusual.

Edited January 24, 2014 by AJRFulton

[ioneabee]

your post 7 makes sense - thats why in the capture photo you like you were cruising along

[AJRFulton]

your post 7 makes sense - thats why in the capture photo you like you were cruising along

 

Sorry the first post doesn't make sense really, I've realised during the progression of the topic this occured further up the road. I'll edit it to be clearer

Edited January 24, 2014 by AJRFulton

[Stutopia]

Is that parked car even in a legit space? Looks like it's snuck on the end of the spaces "forcing" you into the red. It's well this side of the bin.

 

It looks like a Private Hire, as it appears to have a badge, so probably stopped to let folk out, or pick up. It's 8pm on a Sunday night, so nothing too unusual.

 

Giving room to a taxi loading/unloading passengers of an evening, in a street free of moving traffic, having previously checked for the absence of buses, seems pretty reasonable to me....

 

... but I'm of the school of thought that rules are more like guidelines, which can be superseded if common sense suggests another approach is more appropriate. I doubt the ticket robots feel the same way.

[hensh65]

Will annoy you to know i support the servers that run all the cameras across the city they havent been love any longer than a few months. Maybe worth the appeal

[LRF4N]

I know that junction well and would've gone straight into the middle lane to go straight towards Buchanan street. If you don't know the city centre well it's an easy mistake to make

 

If I was passing the taxi I would've been halfway between the middle lane and bus lane then it's easy to prove. But from the pics your wholly in the bus lane.

 

They will just go by what they see in the pics. If your full car is in a clearly marked bus lane in 2 pics I think it will be hard to convince them otherwise. Several cars do use the bus lane and turn right onto renfield street so your only hope is to prove you went straight. But good luck getting them to check the CCTV to see where you went at the next junction

 

(Iv fought the city council a few times when I had a good argument. And failed each time )

[AJRFulton]

I know that junction well and would've gone straight into the middle lane to go straight towards Buchanan street. If you don't know the city centre well it's an easy mistake to make

 

If I was passing the taxi I would've been halfway between the middle lane and bus lane then it's easy to prove. But from the pics your wholly in the bus lane.

 

They will just go by what they see in the pics. If your full car is in a clearly marked bus lane in 2 pics I think it will be hard to convince them otherwise. Several cars do use the bus lane and turn right onto renfield street so your only hope is to prove you went straight. But good luck getting them to check the CCTV to see where you went at the next junction

 

(Iv fought the city council a few times when I had a good argument. And failed each time )

 

They do take a video though don't they?

 

I was dropping the other half off at her work (just off George Sq), so definitely went straight on. Just the wide angle lens of the camera makes me look like I've travelled miles in the bus lane, when infact it's maybe 3 car lengths (going by the parked cars). Indeed between the junction and where I would of went into the correct lane, it is maybe only 6-7 car lengths. Lock me up!

 

Not that a £30 fine bothers me that much, it is just the principle of it, plus fancy a little fight

 

Unfamiliar with the city, night time, very heavy rain (remember this as I had to drive to Wales right afterwards and the motorway was 30-40mph conditions), and a stationary car partly blocking the correct lane.

 

You are right though. Lets face, they are sign posted, but in a busy city centre, with people and cars around, few people notice these as there are loads of hazards to be aware of! In Glasgow in particular it is so easy to get into a bus lane completely by accident, more so if you are not familiar with the city. Once in one it's easy to get boxed in, and can be hard to get out of one quickly. In that particular junction, if you are on Hope St turning right, in the right hand lane, you can get boxed in there easily if there is a large vehicle in the middle lane also turning right. Hardly seems fair to get hit with a £60 fine for it.

 

I would suggest the figures (Reading an article on STV that camera, and the one in Glassford street get around 500 people per day), suggest there is more wrong than peoples driving standards. Could it be it's a deliberate cash cow? 125k fines for this generated in 18mths... not a bad earner for a city of 600k people.

Edited January 25, 2014 by AJRFulton

[LRF4N]

Worth a try if you didn't turn right like the vast majority of drivers using that bus lane to get a shortcut

 

Might be worth speaking to ricey he was a lawyer in a past life good luck

[Jay]

Pay the fine and take it on the chin! These things happen, you won't win the case and it will just drag out.