Sunday Variety

It all seemed terribly obvious and straightforward with a few weird exceptions.

So the blue round sign above means that the designated section of road is legally for buses only and, in this particular cases, other vehicles. It is a bus only road, not just a bus lane.

This is what DaFT says the sign means.

Apparently he good folk of Bristol cannot “get” this.

Latest figures from the bus gate on Cumberland Road, show it has raised £1.6m for Bristol City Council – which has defended the scheme, despite fierce criticism.

The council has insisted the scheme is compliant and explained it is there to reduce air pollution and increase bus travel options, not to generate income.

Matt Sanders, who has spent hours investigating the bus gate, said he expects more appeals to follow.

“I pointed out in May, dozens of problems with all the signage,” he said.

“The council’s transport designers told the executive officers and the councillors that it was all fine.

“Now these three adjudicators have said the signage isn’t correct and so the people who claimed it was correct are now discredited.”

Mr Sanders said his winning cases can now be used as a template to help others who also wish to appeal against their fines.

“I can just use exactly the same evidence for the cases that have won,” he said.

“The council has made their bus gate unenforcable, because now anybody can appeal on this basis and they’re bound to win,” he added.

A council spokesperson said the signage installed surrounding the Cumberland Road bus gate is “compliant”.

“The bus gate has not been put in place to generate income, 

Yeah, tight! So you’ll be giving the 1.6 million to charity, then?

“it is there to help reduce air pollution and increase the number of bus travel options for residents,” they said.

“We understand drivers’ frustration when, without their realisation, they have accumulated multiple fines before they have received the first letter, and while each appeal is considered on a case by case basis we will continue to be sympathetic to people in this situation.

“Despite winning 31 appeals and an adjudicator confirming that our signage is adequate, we continue to listen to drivers’ feedback and make changes to the bus gate signage.”

Yeah, right! Of course you do.

Cumberland Road runs alongside the river and has been a quiet road and a useful short cut to parts of the city centre. But drivers are now warned that it is effectively a no through road.

There are the blue signs as above …

Now a red colour has been added to the road surface on the approaches to the “gate” which might suggest that the (red?) bus lane ends at the blue signs.

The only frequent bus long there is the Metro Bus M2, the Long Ashton Park and Ride service

Seems a lot of clout to protect just a few buses and it could not possibly be a money making scheme, could it?