Forum Topic

Do not stop on the Bus stop in front of M&S!!!

Do not drop off your passenger from your car at the bus stop right in front of M&S on Chiswick High Road!! There is a camera about 100m away and you will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice and a fine.There is a piddly sign attatched to the bus-stop which is too high to even see, and a little cheeky.They wonder why the high-street retail is dying..... I'm doing more and more shopping online because all the bulky goods now get delivered to me, we need to create more friendly street environments, ample provisions for the car when purchasing heavier goods, and I'm not against cycling I think it is great idea. Surely instead of everyone working inside their own little boxes, we can get people to coordinate transport systems and high-street retail spaces for once.Any thoughts?

Jimmy Kim ● 2327d17 Comments

Yeah I’ve got a thought Jimmy. Don’t park your car at bus stops!

Paul Campbell ● 2327d

Now I know! not even for a 1 second drop off come on....

Jimmy Kim ● 2327d

Years ago when I had a car I stopped there to just let someone out.  They contacted me to say I was parked.  I was there for  maybe three seconds around 10.30 pm. I asked them to send me the video to prove I was 'parked'.  I think as I haven't heard from them for about ten years I am now unlikely to be fined.

Claire Moran ● 2327d

You were lucky, Claire. The contravention isn't parking, but rather stopping, on a bus stop.

Robert Fish ● 2327d

Well, it must have changed.  The notice I got which was that I parked. Which I didn't.  But if you are forced into a bus lane and have to stop, what is the legal situation?

Claire Moran ● 2327d

Interesting, parking vs stopping... I've paid the fine, but surely stopping at a bus stop is a safe place to drop someone off? I was very careful that there wasnt a bus in front or behind me. Wanting to rant all day.... :)

Jimmy Kim ● 2327d

Is it legal to issue fines from camera evidence ? I thought this was a bit of a grey area.

John Southey ● 2327d

Bus stops are for buses. Seems fairly easy to grasp.

Gordon McDonald ● 2327d

Perfectly legal and that is how virtually every 'yellow box' contravention is processed.

N V Brooks ● 2327d

Councils can’t enforce parking on yellow lines using video but as Robert Fish has mentioned, this wasn’t a parking offence but a ‘no stopping’ offence.

Michael Robinson ● 2327d

I'm always amazed by the number of people I see dropping off at the bus stop at Turnham Green Terrace who are probably being pinged every time. It seems so unjust as they are never actually blocking off a bus. The system is completely dysfunctional other than from a revenue raising perspective. The overwhelming majority of bus lane/stop fines are given to people not obstructing a bus and the overwhelming proportion of people who do obstruct buses get away with it. The answer is surely to have cameras on the buses with driver's reporting any obstructions they encounter and the revenue going back into bus provision rather than disappearing into council coffers and never verifiably being spent on anything to do with transport.

Dan Evans ● 2327d

This thread brings with it a sense of deja vu.  How do we make the changes to stop this?

Philippa Bond ● 2327d

No change is needed, Just don't stop at bus stops unless you are driving a bus!As to bus lanes, all have clear hours of restriction posted at the start of each 'sector'. I happily go sailing up the bus lane on the Uxbridge Road just after 10:00 while others, who didn't read the 07:00-10:00 restriction sign, sit there fuming.

N V Brooks ● 2327d

Bus lanes seem to be the only traffic installation that people respect more than they need to, frequently staying out of them when the signs don't require it. It can also be confusing when the stated times change at intervals along the same stretch of road, so maybe universal 24 hour bus lanes would be simpler and safer.

Peter Evans ● 2327d

The whole idea of the bus lane is to provide a clear 'route' along congested roads during peak hours. As such, there is absolutely no need for 24 hour lanes (save in a very few locations). One could propose that failing to observe and comply with the restriction notices could be construed as driving without due care and attanetion.

N V Brooks ● 2326d

You fail your driving test if you don't use a bus lane when you are entitled to use it.

James Petri ● 2326d

A friend of mine once pulled into a bus lane to let an ambulance behind him pass.  Caught on camera - as must have been the ambulance.  Appealed.  Appeal declined.  No wonder people avoid driving in them at all costs.

Catherine Steele ● 2326d