How's this?
I am writing to appeal a recent penalty charge notice received for briefly passing through a bus gate before an immediate U-turn.
The incident occurred on a road the driver does not regularly travel, and their momentary lapse was not an attempt to exploit the bus gate. This unintended mistake while navigating unfamiliar road is evidenced by the video captured in which my vehicle can initially be seen reversing, after mistakenly turning left into the one way system on Pinstone Street. After reversing back to correct my direction of travel my vehicle was already impossibly positioned to avoid the bus gate. With the majority of my concentration on trying to navigate to my destination whilst avoiding the busy Saturday taxi traffic of the town centre, I unintentionally crossed the boundary before realising my mistake. As evidenced by the video, I promptly U-turned at the earliest possible opportunity so as to avoid any unpermitted forward travel.
The incursion into the bus gate was therefore on a de-minimis basis, with no disruption to traffic flow or safety - furthermore, there was no intention to gain any advantage over any other motorist.
Considering the minimal nature of the infringement and evidence of compliance at the earliest opportunity still within the camera's field of view, I respectfully request your discretion in cancelling the fine.
