Well that's an interesting response:
There is a bus lane enforcement camera outside the Queen Pub on Bridge Street which is visible here: https://goo.gl/maps/uBQPWZf3YGgkQk198
I would like to know the make and model of the camera please.
The Council’s response is set out below:
The make and model of this camera is AXIS Q1765-LE.
Enforcement was temporarily stopped for maintenance on 03 July 2023 and reactivated on 04 July 2023. They were stopped again on 10 July 2023 and reactivated on 11 July 2023.
The CCTV camera is here, right outside the Queen put: https://goo.gl/maps/uBQPWZf3YGgkQk198
You've been given an unequivocal assurance from the council that the bus gate was suspended, so in my view you had a legitimate expectation that you could rely on what you had been told.
Draft representation:
Dear City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council,
I am aware of a number of diversions due to roadworks in the area, and I am aware that some of the signage has caused confusion to drivers. To ensure compliance, I contacted the council a few days ago to seek clarification of which bus gates are currently in operation, and which ones are suspended.
I was first advised that "the bus gates on Bridge Street have been turned off", but because I wanted to be 100% certain of my position, I wrote back again seeking confirmation of the precise locations where enforcement had been suspended. In a follow-up email, the council confirmed that "the bus gate outside the Queen pub has been turned off for the time being".
The expression "for the the time being" indicates something that is ongoing for a period of time and the end of which is not immediately foreseen or very imminent. Therefore when I travelled through the bus gate, I did so in the reasonable expectation that the bus gate was still suspended.
If the council's intention was that the bus gate would become operational again within less than a week, I would have expected the council's email to confirm the date that enforcement would resume, or at least give some indication that enforcement was to recommence imminently.
In the circumstances I had a legitimate expectation that the information provided by the council was accurate, and had that unequivocal assurance not been given, I would not have taken this route.
In the circumstances, no contravention occurred and the PCN must be cancelled.
Yours faithfully,
In the meantime I'll find out the make and model of the camera and the dates when enforcement was suspended.