Several months back I followed an unfamiliar route across London twice in 10 days. Two weeks after the first incident I received a PCN for driving in a bus lane and 10 days later another one!

I could not believe I had inadvertently strayed into a bus lane twice so I googled it. It’s a notorious bus lane in Lambeth that effectively entraps tens of thousands of motorists annually. It was given publicity in an Evening Standard article in 2015.

I decided not to challenge the PCNs as the contraventions were clear and there were no deficiencies in the signage etc that I could see. However, I felt so aggrieved that I sent an FOI request to Lambeth. You’ll see from the response  that in the last full year they pulled in £1.8 million from 28K contraventions. They have spent only a trivial amount on improving signage etc.

If the purpose of a bus lane is to deter motorists from driving in it and disrupting public transport, then they are singularly failing to do this, and it is a deliberate failing as they have full knowledge of the unusually high number of contraventions and ample evidence of drivers’ feelings of entrapment. They could quite easily have implemented a separating kerb that would prevent driving in the lane except by the most determined.

I’m advised that there’s no hope of getting justice for my fellow 130,000 motorists affected.

Bad luck chaps.