Bus Lane Cameras - Are you one of the stupid ones?

[davieG]

 

 

Nearly 200 motorists on average a day are being caught illegally driving in bus-only roads in Leicester.

 

Latest figures released by Leicester City Council show that 35,954 penalties were issued by its network of seven enforcement cameras around the city from the start of November to the end of May.

Over that time the council's income from fines paid totaled just under £900,000.

The camera activated in Horsefair Street, near Leicester Town Hall, in January has been the most prolific catching 16,208 cars driving where they should not.

 

 

Overall since February the statistics show a gradual decline in the number of offences from 9,588 that month to 4,559 last month.

The cameras are intended to reduce the congestion caused by general traffic in key areas allowing buses to reached their destinations without delay.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "In some areas we have seen a pleasing decline in the number of offences but in other places the message seems still not to be getting through so successfully.

"I cannot understand the stupidity of people who keep getting caught by these cameras.

"All the restricted areas are clearly signed.

"If people are going to continue being stupid that can be content in the knowledge that their money is going to a good cause."

The council says that, once the cost of running the enforcement process is covered, all the money raised from the £60 fines - reduced to £30 if paid within a fortnight - is reinvested into transport improvement schemes in the city.

Aylestone Liberal Democrat city councillor Nigel Porter said he was not convinced the cameras contributed that much to improved bus journey time particularly along the A426 in his ward.

He said: "They don't work as well as we keep being told they do. "They are just part of this Labour-run council's anti-car agenda."

There are two enforcement cameras in Charles Street, one in Rutland Street, another in Causeway Lane as well as the Horsefair Street device.

The A426 Lutterworth Road has two cameras monitoring the bus lane into the city - one at Soar Valley Way and one at Middleton Street.

The council is set to start enforcement on the bridge over the Rover Soar in Thurcaston Road next month.

Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/huge-number-of-drivers-caught-flouting-leicester-bus-lane-restrictions/story-30406677-detail/story.html#vge14AVLOoBXf82f.99

[Wymsey]

Try to avoid driving in and around Leicester at all costs - most roads, especially inner ones, are poorly-designed and accidents-waiting-to-happen incidents are more than not likely.

Soar Valley Way is often critisized.

[stix]

I got done by the one at the top of Lutterworth Road/Soar Valley Way a few months ago. The camera is ridiculously placed imo. All I did was went into the left hand lane abit early as I was turning left at the traffic lights. And it was at 4:30am!!! The first bus on that road is 5:55am I think!! 

 

Still didnt have a leg a leg to stand on so just paid the £30. There's no need for any bus lane in this city to be 24/7. Blatant money maker for Soulsby. 

[yorkie1999]

Anti car agenda? Surely the council want more cars to get caught driving in bus lanes

[Tuna]

Fortunately I don't need to drive anywhere where there are bus lanes.

[Parafox]

On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 13:32, stix said:

I got done by the one at the top of Lutterworth Road/Soar Valley Way a few months ago. The camera is ridiculously placed imo. All I did was went into the left hand lane abit early as I was turning left at the traffic lights. And it was at 4:30am!!! The first bus on that road is 5:55am I think!! 

 

Still didnt have a leg a leg to stand on so just paid the £30. There's no need for any bus lane in this city to be 24/7. Blatant money maker for Soulsby. 

There's a few things that don't need to be 24hrs, bus lanes is certainly one of them, unless you have buses running 24hrs a day.

 

Others are traffic lights on traffic islands, they don't need to be 24hrs. Disabled and parent/child parking spaces should be available to all after, say, 7pm.

[kingcarr21]

42 minutes ago, Parafox said:

There's a few things that don't need to be 24hrs, bus lanes is certainly one of them, unless you have buses running 24hrs a day.

 

Others are traffic lights on traffic islands, they don't need to be 24hrs. Disabled and parent/child parking spaces should be available to all after, say, 7pm.

Why? Are people with disabilities/children not allowed out after 7pm? What a ridiculous thing to suggest

[Parafox]

1 minute ago, kingcarr21 said:

Why? Are people with disabilities/children not allowed out after 7pm? What a ridiculous thing to suggest

If you go to a supermarket after that time there are generally loads of free disabled spaces which could be made use of by anyone. I'm not suggesting people with disabilities/children shouldn't be allowed out. To imply that is in itself, ridiculous.

Ok then, why not have 50% kept for those with disabilities or children and 50% available to all?

[ScouseFox]

never understood why non-disabled folk would park in a disabled bay. you end up walking what, like 50 yards if you're parked at the very end of most supermarket car parks. stop being such a lazy pr ick 

[Parafox]

Just now, ScouseFox said:

never understood why non-disabled folk would park in a disabled bay. you end up walking what, like 50 yards if you're parked at the very end of most supermarket car parks. stop being such a lazy pr ick 

Jeez, it was only a suggestion, mate. Besides if the bays were available to all after a certain time and I'm talking about 24hr supermarkets here BTW, then those bays would no longer be disabled only for the specified period of time, a bit like bus lanes outside certain hours.

[Jon the Hat]

6 minutes ago, ScouseFox said:

never understood why non-disabled folk would park in a disabled bay. you end up walking what, like 50 yards if you're parked at the very end of most supermarket car parks. stop being such a lazy pr ick 

Sometimes it rains.  Or you want to get home.  So not the worst suggestion in the world to have them open late at night say.

Edited 29 June 2017 by Jon the Hat

[ScouseFox]

3 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Jeez, it was only a suggestion, mate. Besides if the bays were available to all after a certain time and I'm talking about 24hr supermarkets here BTW, then those bays would no longer be disabled only for the specified period of time, a bit like bus lanes outside certain hours.

haha yer I wasn't directing that at you, just people in general who you see in half full car parks who park in child bays or disabled bays when literally ten yards away is a standard space. could see the reasoning if it was genuinely beneficial but really it makes zero difference to an able bodied person to walk from three rows away from the door or one row away. 

[ScouseFox]

1 minute ago, Jon the Hat said:

Sometimes it rains.  Or you want to get home.  So not the worst suggestion in the world to have them open late at night say.

literally the worst excuses in the world. it's raining so I'm going to park a couple of bays closer in a space I'm not meant to be in. pretty pathetic that no offence. 

[kingcarr21]

3 minutes ago, Parafox said:

If you go to a supermarket after that time there are generally loads of free disabled spaces which could be made use of by anyone. I'm not suggesting people with disabilities/children shouldn't be allowed out. To imply that is in itself, ridiculous.

Ok then, why not have 50% kept for those with disabilities or children and 50% available to all?

 

1 minute ago, ScouseFox said:

never understood why non-disabled folk would park in a disabled bay. you end up walking what, like 50 yards if you're parked at the very end of most supermarket car parks. stop being such a lazy pr ick 

Scouse has nailed it on the head.

 

Para, you want to go to a supermarket in the evening. At that time I would suggest 99% of the time there are spaces right next to the disabled spaces that are free. Are you REALLY that inconvenienced you have to walk what 10 strides extra to get to the door. Just be glad you don't have to use the spaces.

 

What's the point in trying to enforce a time schedule. If 'normal' spaces were miles away fair enough but they are literally next to disabled spaces .

 

I'm not suggesting you have something against disabilities or anything like that, just that its a daft idea to enforce a timetable for so little gain imo.

[Parafox]

19 minutes ago, kingcarr21 said:

 

Scouse has nailed it on the head.

 

Para, you want to go to a supermarket in the evening. At that time I would suggest 99% of the time there are spaces right next to the disabled spaces that are free. Are you REALLY that inconvenienced you have to walk what 10 strides extra to get to the door. Just be glad you don't have to use the spaces.

 

What's the point in trying to enforce a time schedule. If 'normal' spaces were miles away fair enough but they are literally next to disabled spaces .

 

I'm not suggesting you have something against disabilities or anything like that, just that its a daft idea to enforce a timetable for so little gain imo.

Fair points. It was really just something that sprang to mind when I was thinking about things that didn't need to be 24hrs, not necessarily something I'd use, but I bet there's plenty of people, particularly the non-disabled elderly, who might find it helpful.

[Papasmurf]

33 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Sometimes it rains.  

Are you made of paper?

[ScouseFox]

6 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Fair points. It was really just something that sprang to mind when I was thinking about things that didn't need to be 24hrs, not necessarily something I'd use, but I bet there's plenty of people, particularly the non-disabled elderly, who might find it helpful.

i get what you're saying but it does seem a bit pointless. i work shifts so quite often do some shopping at midnight or at 4am or something. the car parks are basically completely empty, you're talking about 5 yards between the nearest free space and the disabled bays. 

 

how much wetter in this torrential rain or how much precious spare time are you going to save from the difference, really? 

[Parafox]

9 minutes ago, ScouseFox said:

i get what you're saying but it does seem a bit pointless. i work shifts so quite often do some shopping at midnight or at 4am or something. the car parks are basically completely empty, you're talking about 5 yards between the nearest free space and the disabled bays. 

 

how much wetter in this torrential rain or how much precious spare time are you going to save from the difference, really? 

I guess you're right. It's a moot point anyway.

[Nick]

 

Near where I live, Waitrose has a small car park - it's always really full apart from a bunch of disabled spaces and parent and child spaces....

 

I waited 10 minutes last week and had a momentary lapse of weakness due to pain in my recently knackered ankle and I was wearing a foot boot up to my knee...

 

Parked in the child space - got out of the car with crutches and a geezer looked at a me like he was gonna do something as he pulled in with a kid in a SUV....

 

I don't have kids and this shouldn't affect my parking I thought selfishly as I hobbled to get some  supplies! 

 

There are some days when I enter full maverick mode.

 

Crazy stuff.

[kingcarr21]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

Fair points. It was really just something that sprang to mind when I was thinking about things that didn't need to be 24hrs, not necessarily something I'd use, but I bet there's plenty of people, particularly the non-disabled elderly, who might find it helpful.

Yea I guess for the elderly it would be a benefit. Pros and cons

[Jon the Hat]

2 hours ago, ScouseFox said:

literally the worst excuses in the world. it's raining so I'm going to park a couple of bays closer in a space I'm not meant to be in. pretty pathetic that no offence. 

Oh I am not condoning breaking the rules, just making a couple of reasons why people might prefer to be allowed to out of busy times.

[Jon the Hat]

1 hour ago, Swan Lesta said:

 

Near where I live, Waitrose has a small car park - it's always really full apart from a bunch of disabled spaces and parent and child spaces....

 

I waited 10 minutes last week and had a momentary lapse of weakness due to pain in my recently knackered ankle and I was wearing a foot boot up to my knee...

 

Parked in the child space - got out of the car with crutches and a geezer looked at a me like he was gonna do something as he pulled in with a kid in a SUV....

 

I don't have kids and this shouldn't affect my parking I thought selfishly as I hobbled to get some  supplies! 

 

There are some days when I enter full maverick mode.

 

Crazy stuff.

There are plenty of times when our supermarket car parks are very full as well, and it is bloody annoying when some prat parks in the kid spaces without a kid.  I have a 4 year old with running away tendancies, and neither I nor some unfortunate driver need him getting hit because we had to trek across the car park instead of having a pathway and crossing from the car.

[Nick]

38 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

There are plenty of times when our supermarket car parks are very full as well, and it is bloody annoying when some prat parks in the kid spaces without a kid.  I have a 4 year old with running away tendancies, and neither I nor some unfortunate driver need him getting hit because we had to trek across the car park instead of having a pathway and crossing from the car.

 

Sorry Jon.

[Col city fan]

3 hours ago, Parafox said:

Jeez, it was only a suggestion, mate. Besides if the bays were available to all after a certain time and I'm talking about 24hr supermarkets here BTW, then those bays would no longer be disabled only for the specified period of time, a bit like bus lanes outside certain hours.

I kinda get this point and wonder if it's about supermarkets, for instance, having too many disabled spaces or 'mums and kids' spots. 

There have been any times I've been driving round, trying to get a space, looking at about thirty disabled spaces nearly all empty and thinking 'that don't make sense'.

Of course, disabled people require disabled parking spots but the scenario I've just given seems bizarre?

[Trav Le Bleu]

4 hours ago, ScouseFox said:

never understood why non-disabled folk would park in a disabled bay. you end up walking what, like 50 yards if you're parked at the very end of most supermarket car parks. stop being such a lazy pr ick 

I used to see this, believe it or not, at the gym. Also people circling round for a spot close to the door when there's loads of space 50m away. I mean, don't want to exert yourself!