Man fined £30 for driving in Sheffield bus lane after sign ‘hidden by overgrown tree’

A Derbyshire man said he would not have been slapped with a £30 fine for going into a bus and tram gate at a Sheffield junction if only the sign warning the motorists was visible.
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Ian Hardy, from Chesterfield said he was issued with a fixed penalty notice for turning right from Holme Lane into Langsett Road of the bus and tram gate regulations in Hillsborough on April 28.

He said since he lives in Chesterfield, he was not able to check the signs so he paid the fine, which he said was the "only traffic offence" he has ever committed in 58 years of driving.

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However, on Tuesday (June 15) he decided to get back to the area and took a photo of the only sign indicating the bus and tram gate to traffic.

The bus lane sign is obscured by an overgrown tree. Picture by Ian Hardy.The bus lane sign is obscured by an overgrown tree. Picture by Ian Hardy.
The bus lane sign is obscured by an overgrown tree. Picture by Ian Hardy.

According to the picture he took, the road sign is seemingly obscured by an overgrown tree, which he said "doesn't take much to understand why he did not see the sign.

"I would have appealed against the ticket had I known the position of the sign. I know there have been a lot of problems at this junction and I want to add my experience to that list."

Sheffield City Council has been contacted for a response and whether the driver would still be able to appeal although a payment has already been made.

The fine for driving in a bus lane in Sheffield is £60, with a £30 discount for early payment.

Any camera enforcement income is invested back into public transport, cycling and walking schemes.