"Unfair" Fine for using bus lane?

[benb]

On the one time I drove though London I was caught in a bus lane. My excuse was basic ignorance. In this case I was in heavy travic, late at night, didnt really know where I was, stuck in slow moving traffic. Somewhere on my way out of London I must have followed traffic into a bus lane.

The first I heard about it was when I got a fine though the post

While pissed off about the fine, I had no real complaint about paying it, but I can say with confidence we wont be traveling back to london by car, which means we wont be doing our christmas shopping there either.

I really understand the importance of maintaining this kind of law, but I would think most people who get fines for it are people who dont live or work in London.

Did you not notice the big signs?

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

Nope... If I had I would have gotten out of the lane - that not to say they where not there (im sure, well I hope they are in plain sight), happy to admit I only have myself to blame btw. But I certanltly did nothing on purpose, or because I thought I could get away with it.

All it boils down to is being a tourist and being unfamiliar with London roads and traffic

BTW, nice Flickr

Did you not notice the big signs?

 

[benb]

Nope... If I had I would have gotten out of the lane - that not to say they where not there (im sure, well I hope they are in plain sight), happy to admit I only have myself to blame btw. But I certanltly did nothing on purpose, or because I thought I could get away with it.

All it boils down to is being a tourist and being unfamiliar with London roads and traffic

BTW, nice Flickr

Bummer, I'm sure plenty of people make the same mistake.

Cheers.

 

[dellzeqq]

The speed is primarily measured by radar, with the camera (two pictures 0.7s apart, and marks on the road a set distance apart) used to record the licence plate, and to serve as a cross check if the speed is disputed.

you know this stuff?????

oh - shirt, Ben, shirt!!!!!

 

[benb]

you know this stuff?????

oh - shirt, Ben, shirt!!!!!

I think I read it somewhere, so don't assume I'm right.

What does shirt mean?

 

[marinyork]

Bummer, I'm sure plenty of people make the same mistake.

Cheers.

Not sure about tourists, but the OP in sheffield most of the ranters know perfectly well where the bus lanes are. Historically the only issue is that as someone in transport at the council remarked, the times on some of the lanes have been altered slightly the last few years to standardise. Sheffield is years behind London in enforcement, we've had the lanes for years most of the big and famous ones people know perfectly well they are there, have got used to years of bad habits and are angry they are now enforced. Many still aren't enforced. There's another bus gate I regularly use on the bike and usually 1-2 vehicles break it every time I go through. There was an angry rage a while back when some of them actually got caught out because te police turned up once in a blue moon to give out tickets.

 

[marinyork]

you know this stuff?????

oh - shirt, Ben, shirt!!!!!

There have been some rather amusing cases of speed disputes such as milk floats where the photographs have been used and famously other things.

 

[dellzeqq]

I think I read it somewhere, so don't assume I'm right.

What does shirt mean?

I have one for you.............

 

[benb]

I have one for you.............

A FNRttC one?
I don't recall ordering one, but if you've got a spare.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

The speed is primarily measured by radar, with the camera (two pictures 0.7s apart, and marks on the road a set distance apart) used to record the licence plate, and to serve as a cross check if the speed is disputed.

That's not quite right...


The radar measures a speed and above X speed takes two photographs, a trained police officer , using his expereince decides, using the evidence ( The pictures *) if he considers the vehicle to be travelling at above the speed limit. That's the official version , what really happens is that the camera goes flash flash and the fine is processed.

* in reality the radar going off is the "evidence" trigger.

 

[Walter Mitty]

When two traffic officers in Scotland were running speed checks, little did they know, they could have caused a major security incident.

The two traffic officers - using a hand held radar speed checking device, were shocked to see a recorded speed of over 300 mph for an approaching vehicle. The radar device promptly stopped working and the traffic officers could not manage to re-set it.




Radar Device Picks Up NATO Fighter Jet
It turned out that the police radar "gun" had locked on to a NATO tornado fighter jet, which had been engaged in low flying exercises over the North Sea. The local Chief Constable immediately complained to the RAF liaison officials and received the following reply:

"Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete our file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had automatically locked on to your 'hostile radar equipment' and sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, the Sidewinder air-to-ground missiles aboard the fully-armed aircraft had also locked on to the target. Fortunately the Dutch pilot flying the Tornado responded to the missile status alert intelligently and was able to override the automatic protection system before the missile was launched."

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

When two traffic officers in Scotland were running speed checks, little did they know, they could have caused a major security incident.

The two traffic officers - using a hand held radar speed checking device, were shocked to see a recorded speed of over 300 mph for an approaching vehicle. The radar device promptly stopped working and the traffic officers could not manage to re-set it.




Radar Device Picks Up NATO Fighter Jet
It turned out that the police radar "gun" had locked on to a NATO tornado fighter jet, which had been engaged in low flying exercises over the North Sea. The local Chief Constable immediately complained to the RAF liaison officials and received the following reply:

"Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete our file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had automatically locked on to your 'hostile radar equipment' and sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, the Sidewinder air-to-ground missiles aboard the fully-armed aircraft had also locked on to the target. Fortunately the Dutch pilot flying the Tornado responded to the missile status alert intelligently and was able to override the automatic protection system before the missile was launched."

The Dutch don't fly Tornados, the pilot of a Tornado is not responsible for the weapons system, and a Sidewinder is a heat seeking missile.

 

[benb]

When two traffic officers in Scotland were running speed checks, little did they know, they could have caused a major security incident.

The two traffic officers - using a hand held radar speed checking device, were shocked to see a recorded speed of over 300 mph for an approaching vehicle. The radar device promptly stopped working and the traffic officers could not manage to re-set it.




Radar Device Picks Up NATO Fighter Jet
It turned out that the police radar "gun" had locked on to a NATO tornado fighter jet, which had been engaged in low flying exercises over the North Sea. The local Chief Constable immediately complained to the RAF liaison officials and received the following reply:

"Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete our file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had automatically locked on to your 'hostile radar equipment' and sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, the Sidewinder air-to-ground missiles aboard the fully-armed aircraft had also locked on to the target. Fortunately the Dutch pilot flying the Tornado responded to the missile status alert intelligently and was able to override the automatic protection system before the missile was launched."

That sounds like bollocks.

 

[Origamist]

That sounds like bollocks.

Hardy surprising - the chap who posts it goes by the name of Walter Mitty

 

[BentMikey]

Snopes innit:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/radar.asp