Tuesday 12 March 2013

When Is A Bus Not A Bus?

when it is in a bus lane of course!


John Henderson, owner of Blantyre-based Henderson Travel could not believe it when one of his company's buses was fined for using the bus lane in Cathedral Street, Glasgow, the number 329 bus was travelling from Stobhill Hospital to West Regent Street when one of Glasgow City Council's CCTV cameras snapped the registration plate on Cathedral Street, He was given a £60 fine, which is reduced to £30 if it is paid within 14 days, after a vehicle from his bus fleet drove on a city centre road designated for buses, taxis and cyclists only,


Mr Henderson, who launched his company 30 years ago, accused council bosses of using the lanes as a way of raking in cash, He said: 'this has reinforced to me that bus lanes are one big money-making exercise, this has nothing to do with trying to keep traffic running smoothly, which is what bus lanes are meant for',


he could be correct, Cathedral Street is the second most prolific money-generating street in Glasgow as the council clamps down on the illegal use of bus lanes, more than £500,000 in fines has been made after almost 20,000 motorists were caught driving in the bus lane between April 23 – when the council launched its CCTV crackdown on bus lanes – and December 31, last year, it is second only to Glassford Street bus lane which has netted around 28,000 drivers, letting the council rake in nearly £700,000 from fines,


but lets look back to this case of John Henderson, a Glasgow City Council spokesman said the fine was sent out in error, He said: 'another vehicle was in the lane behind the bus lane and it was included in the picture taken by the bus lane camera', I have to say it, looking at the picture taken by the CCTV camera there does not seem to be a car that close to the bus.

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