39ft and raking in cash
Mini bus lane confuses drivers and sees them fined
The bus lane is not much longer than the length of a double-decker. It’s situated on a section of Northolt Road in South Harrow and has caught out 7,854 drivers in 19 months.
Freedom of thought
According to RAC’s Drive, the scale of the issue came to light after a Freedom of In formation request. It came from motorist Geoffrey Ben-Nathan, 77, as he looked to overturn his fine. This he achieved after accidentally driving into the bus lane.
The local authority said it was against the law for motorists to use the lane. However, the way the road is laid out and signposted has led some people, including Mr Ben-Nathan, to believe they have been treated unfairly.
Ben-Nathan argued his case at a tribunal, telling adjudicators that the signage on the approach is ‘unclear’ and will lead to many other people getting fined
Clear and obvious
Most restrictions along Northolt Road only apply at certain times of the day. But this becomes a 24/7 restriction for the small section of the route. Most of those caught automatically pay the fine. However, part of his evidence was to provide several examples of other motorists who had successfully overturned their fines by using similar arguments.
He believes clearer signage should be put into place to warn drivers.
Mr Ben-Nathan said: “Morally, the onus must be on councils to prevent motorists from contravening their motoring regulations. This is not the case at the moment.”
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes agrees that “signage and road layout are crucially important”.
“Anywhere a local authority is dishing out a high volume of penalty charge notices for a single location should sound alarm bells about the design of the scheme.”
In its response, Harrow Council says it believes that “the signage here is clear and in accordance with the law”.