Bus lane penalty charge St Martin's Queensway, Birmingham. Advice needed if possible

[Craigbadger]

As above

I've got a Birmigham city council penalty charge notice for entering a bus lane.

 

Its £60 or reduced to £30 if paid by the Christmas eve (merry christmas to me.

 

I did drive in the bus lane

but I just want to make sure it is being enforced correctly and that they are doing their bit correctly and legally, not trying to evade it or anything I just know these are likely done in bulk.

 

For anyone that knows Birmingham city centre, it was St Martins Queensway.

It was saturday afternoon and absolutely manic + my engine was overheating.

Will be honest I've not driven this route in about 15 years and was fully using the satnav.

 

See this link,

my sat nav was telling me to turn left so I crossed over fairly late and turned into the tunnel which is as can be seen in this photo a bus lane,

 

 

by the time I had noticed it was too late and I went into the tunnel about 40 yards where there is a gate on the right which I used to turn around in and come back out the way I had come.

 

 

Now the thing is that the photos they have provided show me coming back out of the tunnel and turning left back onto the main road not going in.

 

 

The lane I am in does not say bus lane.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.478504,-1.8932093,3a,75y,236.94h,96.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sCqmX0jiPV2qJIHxsCBR0Rw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

 

Now if you go back up the main road

the way I had come,

it was poorly signed and there were likely buses parked infront of the signs,

I suspect I had only entered the left lane at the last second and entered the tunnel.

 

Just to be clear

I admit doing it

however I think its pretty unclear and I was causing no danger or did I make or mean to make any gain from doing so.

 

I guess I just want to make sure they are legally doing this correctly and if I have any grounds to appeal.

 

 

I'm not going to risk £30 and my time if its not worth the effort. Its the principle though.

[honeybee13]

Hello there.

 

I've amended your thread title to show the location. The guys should be along later with advice.

 

HB

[ericsbrother]

it is a bus lane in both directions according to blue signs but the google images clearly show several cars driving through it so understand the problemas the direction you were photographed must have changed to buses only quite recently

[ericsbrother]

TBH for £30 I would probably just pay it

[Craigbadger]

TBH for £30 I would probably just pay it

 

Yes thanks, I think I will.

Its just that feeling of being ripped off. It is bus lane either way so I'm going to struggle I'm sure but its poorly signed coming that way and once you are in you have no real choice but to continue.

 

Whats more I had only gone over to buy a Mac mini for cheap, she had advertised as 2014 and it was 2012 so ended up walking away. So not only did I waste £20 on fuel but £30 on this. Grrr.