After the shock, I realised why I'd been fined for driving in a bus lane - Alastair Dalton

This is no excuse, but inconsistent road markings were my downfall

Oh the irony. The day I reported on a call for greater bus lane enforcement from transport guru David Begg, I was issued with my first ever motoring fine - for driving in a bus lane.

After enduring years of me pontificating about the merits of public transport, this will come as schadenfreude to other motorists caught by the cameras.

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The letter came as a total shock to me as I had been unaware I had committed the offence. In fact, preaching in this column about abiding by traffic laws has made me so risk averse it’s led family members to criticise me for rigidly sticking to the speed limit rather than keeping up with the traffic.

I paid the fine immediately with no quibbles - which was halved to £30 as settled within two weeks.

At first, I couldn’t work out why I had failed to notice the bus lane, because I normally religiously check the signs for their operating hours.

But when I went back to the scene of the crime, I saw immediately why I’d fallen foul.

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This is absolutely no excuse for breaking the law - the enforcement times and cameras warning were clearly signposted - and I was bang to rights.

I discovered when retracing my route along Maryhill Road, in the north of Glasgow, that just before the place I was caught, there’s a stretch of bus lane with a light brown surface.

A section of bus lane in Maryhill Road, Glasgow, with colour surfacing. (Photo by The Scotsman)A section of bus lane in Maryhill Road, Glasgow, with colour surfacing. (Photo by The Scotsman)
A section of bus lane in Maryhill Road, Glasgow, with colour surfacing. (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

However, the next, separate section of bus lane a little further up the road is not marked with that colour surfacing, and, although still visible, the bus lane markings and solid line separating it from the other traffic lane were faded.

The section of bus lane in Maryhill Road, Glasgow, where Alastair Dalton was fined. (Photo by The Scotsman)The section of bus lane in Maryhill Road, Glasgow, where Alastair Dalton was fined. (Photo by The Scotsman)
The section of bus lane in Maryhill Road, Glasgow, where Alastair Dalton was fined. (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

I can only conclude that I noticed the brown bus lane section but then naturally moved into the left lane after it ended and failed to spot the start of the new section.

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If I didn’t notice the signs - again, no excuse - it may have been because I was focusing on looking out for potholes. But then I should have seen the faded “Bus Lane” painted on the road

My journey had started in Edinburgh, which does not have all-day bus lane enforcement, unlike some routes in Glasgow, such as Maryhill Road.

I mention that because, in a further irony, I’d kept out of the bus lanes on Calder Road on my way out of the capital - even though they are open to all traffic that Sunday afternoon - because of their potholes.

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So, if I, who should have known better, came a cropper, what lessons should be learned?

My key observation is there should be consistency. All bus lanes should have the same operating hours - ideally all day, every day, such as 7am-7pm on some Glasgow routes, which Edinburgh is due to trial.

As Mr Begg told me last week: “You don’t want to confuse motorists - you’ve either got bus lanes or you haven’t.”

Bus lane surfacing should also be consistent throughout - just as it should be for bike lanes too, as I have argued.

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That would not just benefit bus passengers. Cyclists and taxis are permitted to use most bus lanes, and this would be another much-needed reallocation of scarce urban road space from the car.

Furthermore, motorists like me would be less likely to stray into bus lanes and get fined.

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