Free Traffic Legal Advice

Missus has just bloody called me after realising that she had driven down Canal Street in Nottingham going east to west.

I know it’s a bus lane and she said she didn’t not see any signs.

Funnily enough she was doing to Boots Opticians to collect her glasses!!!! 

Not sure if she made a formal appointment and she obviously paid for her test and glasses the other week when she went. I’d doubt it’s a defence as not being able to see is far worse.

I think it’s only reading glasses she requires. I’ll check.

Had a search for Canal Street and only find results for all the cash it has generated.

Is it worth fighting when it arrives?  She’s looked up costs already and apparently £35 if paid within 21 days. Hopefully that is within 21 days of receipt of NIP as we are away next Tuesday for 16 days.

Could have done without this but if it’s not worth fighting then it’s not worth fighting.

Will probably go and take photos of approach anyway just in case it helps others in future.

Well. Is this a turn up for the books?

Missus received nothing for this perceived contravention driving through the Canal Street Bus Lane in Nottingham. 

Is this even possible?  They've been raking millions of pounds in on this one bus lane.

Could the enforcement cameras have been broken?  It's just completely bizarre.

I am, of course, assuming that they need to issue within 14 days in these instances?

And yes it is a 24 hour bus lane according to the signage.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Quote from: Hroogar on January 18, 2025, 11:27:28 am

I am, of course, assuming that they need to issue within 14 days in these instances?

28 days I believe, but wait for the experts.

Oh great! She's not off the hook yet then. I reckon you'll be correct. Thought it was too good to be true.

I've added some photos since of the signage.  I don't think there is ANY defence in all honesty.  I think a letter of appeal to them if one does come through citing that she "should have gone to Specsavers instead of Boots" would probably miss the target and not be appreciated and would open up another can of worms even though her eyesight for distance is fine.  Just a moment of forgetfulness she tells me and the daft thing is it's not as if she was in a rush!

Hi everyone, I think this is the right thread to post this.

I have an entirely hypothetical scenario to ask about. I am worried about being on the borderline for enforcement on a short 50mph average speed camera stretch of motorway. I have not received any NIP, and hopefully never will, so this is all entirely in the realms of the hypothetical.

The circumstances were that I was driving on an unfamiliar motorway, I was being dazzled by intense winter sun glare that was reflecting on the wet surface of the motorway. That's not intended as mitigation, just saying why I was focused more on avoiding collisions than looking out for cameras.

I saw a sign warning of a 50mph speed limit enforced by average speed cameras and started decelerating for that. At that point, my speedo was an indicated 59mph (I think), which showed on Waze as being 57mph (GPS speed). I didn't brake to decelerate, I just took my foot off the accelerator and let it slow down that way. I think I was down to an indicated 52mph by the time the 'national speed limit' signs appeared. This stretch of average speed cameras was far shorter than I expected, which is why I didn't brake to slow it down further.

From googling, it seems that this particular set of average speed cameras are enforced very strictly and people have had tickets for 57mph. So if my figures are accurate, the average would hopefully come out as just below this. But it was a short stretch, as I say, and I am not 100% certain that my deceleration was sufficient to avoid that threshold.

Now the thing is that I have not received a NIP. However, I have not received any post at all from the Royal Mail since December. I think we all know how rubbish the Royal Mail service has become lately.

So what worries me is if a NIP did get issued, I may receive it after the deadline for completing the S172 or I may not even receive it at all. That is what worries me more than anything. As far as I'm aware, if they post on the 12th day after the alleged offence, then it is deemed 'served' regardless of whether it is actually received or not. This is obviously unjust given that the RM has become so unreliable now (so much so that they have been getting fines for not meeting their service commitments).

If I am unlucky enough to be over their threshold, I should qualify for an awareness course (no points on my licence in years). I am far more worried about the possibility of being stung for a failure to name the driver for a NIP that I never received.

be aware your speeds indicated speed will in fact be around 2-3mph more than you're actual speed.

Yep, I'm aware of that. However, it's still too close for comfort for me. I hope it falls below their threshold but I can't be certain that this is the case until the deadline has passed.

If I'm unlucky, then I'll just take the hit and opt for the course if it's offered.

I'm more worried about an NIP being sent, it not arriving, and then me being penalised for failure to provide.

Don't worry about it. There are far worse things that could happen that you have no control over.

I saw a sign warning of a 50mph speed limit enforced by average speed cameras and started decelerating for that. At that point, my speedo was an indicated 59mph (I think), which showed on Waze as being 57mph (GPS speed). I didn't brake to decelerate, I just took my foot off the accelerator and let it slow down that way. I think I was down to an indicated 52mph by the time the 'national speed limit' signs appeared. This stretch of average speed cameras was far shorter than I expected, which is why I didn't brake to slow it down further.

If your actual speed was 57mph on hitting the commencement of the 50mph average speed limit as you were decelerating & didn't touch the throttle again then your average speed will have been below 57mph. You won't get a NIP unless your average speed was 57mph or higher as per the usual convention of only charging if your speed was (speed limit + 10% + 2mph).

Is this still the case? I read somewhere, cannot recall where, that these allowances had changed?

Sure there is something enshrined in legislation somewhere whether that be this or some revision.

You read it somewhere but you can’t remember where, isn’t a great source.

No, it’s not enshrined in law and never has been.

You read it somewhere but you can’t remember where, isn’t a great source.

Ever failing memory sadly! I should have posted about it at the time.  Even if it was last week I wouldn't be able to recall it.

No, it’s not enshrined in law and never has been.

So I did a search again today and this is not the article I read (which I think may have even been in an online newspaper article at the time) and this came up!

https://www.startrescue.co.uk/breakdown-cover/motoring-advice/safety-and-security/how-accurate-is-my-speedometer

So I take it that is nonsense too.  They mention speedometer regulations.  Maybe Construction and Use Regulations but this wouldn't amount to an 'allowance' of course.