Council declines to review signage despite successful appeal over "confusing" bus gate signs

Essex County Council has no plans to review the signage on a bus gate despite a driver winning an appeal against a penalty charge on the grounds that the signs were confusing.

The BBC has reported that motorist Bernardine King's penalty charge notice was quashed after the traffic penalty adjudicator ruled the signage on a stretch of road in Chelmsford was inadequate.

Dr King said the design of the bus gate was unsafe as drivers could become “trapped” in the area concerned, where different signs gave an excess of information.

An Essex spokesperson said that signage had been increased before enforcement cameras were introduced in 2017, and the council had “painted the words ‘bus gate’ in five-foot high letters on the road at both entrances to help make drivers aware of the restrictions”.

The council said it had been unlawful to drive through the bus gate at Duke Street in Chelmsford since 2011 and that since the cameras were installed there had been 58,077 PCNs issued, only 158 of which had been appealed to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, with misuse of the bus gate falling by 75%.

Essex said this had helped buses to leave the nearby bus station on time and discouraged ‘rat running’ in the city centre.

“There is no new review of signage planned at the bus gate,” the council said.

“The signage was reviewed and increased before the enforcement cameras were switched on in 2017.”

Mark Smulian