I have to admit I broke the law and got caught for breaking the law. My crime, dear readers, was driving in a bus lane.
A couple of weeks ago I was stopped by this police officer for driving in a bus lane. ‘Fair dos,’ I said, ‘you caught me red handed’.
Like most crimes of this high-profile nature you are asked to leave your vehicle and sit alongside the officer in his car.
As mine wasn’t deemed that big a deal he kindly let me sit up front.
The officer himself was almost apologetic – ‘We’re cracking down’.
‘On the bus lane drivers?’ I asked.
“Yes, I’m afraid.’ ‘I didn’t know,’ I replied.
‘Didn’t know that it was a bus lane?’ ‘No, that you were cracking down.’ It was strange conversation to say the least.
It ended with him issuing me a £30 fine. I hadn’t got a fine for many years. The last one was for parking on a single yellow line a full 37 seconds longer than I should have.
The law is the law I say and if you do something wrong you should be punished. But then again – no – not when it comes to bus lanes!
There is no doubt it was a bus lane but in my defence it wasn’t a proper one.
The bus lane in question is the little channel between Railway Road and Darwen Street, Blackburn – I think it is called Jubilee Street.
Now, most people will realise that stretch of road should not really be a bus lane. This became a bus lane when those crazy planners were having a bad day.
I have nothing against the buses as such. I come from a long line of bus conductors and drivers. Well, two actually.
The point I don’t mind giving the buses priority but someone has got to make it easier for me to drive from one side of town to the other without using up a litre of petrol.
I don’t want to take silly lefts and stupid rights just so I can travel 100 yards.
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