Traffic Penalty Tribunal - Advice

[MikeM6]

It might just be me, but given there was so much traffic on such a short journey, was walking not an option? That might have been more calming for your child, rather than a stressful journey.

[Random_Person]

Responder.First said:

No the closure had failed to go ahead, the week before so there was confusion when it was happening.

I allowed enough time it was my child who was not ready to get in the car until late.

The combination of roadworks allowed with no planning or thought to road space booking had caused massive jams and delays on the main route out of my development. Its the councils poor highways and planning of road space that is the real issue I had the same problem in the Easter break when 4 road works were allowed including a morning closure at 8am (according to the developer) that meant I couldn't get out of my road at 8am for around 30 mins. They allowed this to work on roads to be adopted but when they then pulled the second phase due to the fact staff could not get to county hall! I know this as I contacted the council who said yes we have staff who are struggling to get to work today.

The bus gate is about revenue but if I have know chance at tribunal I will pay.

Welcome to life! Its tough, the rules apply to you just as they do everyone else. I have kids with special needs and don't get any sort of support or dispensation. Your understanding of things is skewed, I don't understand why you have even posted. You made a conscious decision and got caught, so deal with the consequences.

Yes roadworks are a pain and yes nothing is planned properly, but again, that's life. Feel free to write to the local authority or roadwork contactors if you must - you will get a copy and paste generic reply sent back "taking on board your feedback" and "assuring you all efforts are made to minimise disruption".

[Pica-Pica]

Responder.First said:

Paid it at £35 thanks, I will speak to my local councilor

Why? They will offer tea and sympathy, but nothing else.

Look, we all have lots of things that sit on the spectrum from inconvenience to stress. We all have some burden with all that. We just deal with it. There are no special cases - otherwise everything is a special case.

[ChevronB19]

Responder.First said:

When the main school road was closed during GCSEs I think allowing local residents to use a bus gate is not unreasonable as the alternative was a long detour in rush hour traffic.

But they didn’t allow it. And you did it anyway.

I’m sorry it caused your daughter stress on an important day, but plan ahead, and don’t use special needs as an excuse or justification.

The time to have made your point to the relevant authorities was in advance. I’m glad you’ve paid up (as you should).

[Responder.First]

ChevronB19 said:

But they didn’t allow it. And you did it anyway.

I’m sorry it caused your daughter stress on an important day, but plan ahead, and don’t use special needs as an excuse or justification.

The time to have made your point to the relevant authorities was in advance. I’m glad you’ve paid up (as you should).

I don't see how I can plan ahead for a child who suffers from anxiety I got up 6.30 to get her to exam.

Not an issue I had I hate being late places I would get up and on but I don't have her complex needs. I should not have to allow 20-30 minutes to travel to school 1/4 mile away, when there are no road works traffic does not present an issue.

[Rufus Stone]

Responder.First said:

I don't see how I can plan ahead for a child who suffers from anxiety I got up 6.30 to get her to exam.

Not an issue I had I hate being late places I would get up and on but I don't have her complex needs. I should not have to allow 20-30 minutes to travel to school 1/4 mile away, when there are no road works traffic does not present an issue.

400 yards. Walk.

[Responder.First]

Rufus Stone said:

400 yards. Walk.

She wouldn't walk, more than 400 yards, I checked google maps 0.6mile she normally walks but the stress and anxiety meant she would not.


Via car using council route its 1.4m miles.

From mine to school road its 0.6m school road open.

[GeniusOfLove]

Responder.First said:

I don't see how I can plan ahead for a child who suffers from anxiety I got up 6.30 to get her to exam.

Not an issue I had I hate being late places I would get up and on but I don't have her complex needs. I should not have to allow 20-30 minutes to travel to school 1/4 mile away, when there are no road works traffic does not present an issue.

Whenever traffic works happen they inconvenience many many people, that's just life, I'm sure if they'd done it the following week some other person would have been inconvenienced on their business in a way they couldn't possibly mitigate for.

If OP was a new poster I'd think this thread was trolling, this is like a satire of modern entitlement.

Edited by GeniusOfLove on Wednesday 26th June 12:12

[ChevronB19]

Responder.First said:

ChevronB19 said:

But they didn’t allow it. And you did it anyway.

I’m sorry it caused your daughter stress on an important day, but plan ahead, and don’t use special needs as an excuse or justification.

The time to have made your point to the relevant authorities was in advance. I’m glad you’ve paid up (as you should).

I don't see how I can plan ahead for a child who suffers from anxiety I got up 6.30 to get her to exam.

Not an issue I had I hate being late places I would get up and on but I don't have her complex needs. I should not have to allow 20-30 minutes to travel to school 1/4 mile away, when there are no road works traffic does not present an issue.

I have every sympathy for a child with complex needs. Roadworks happen, as do exams, as do special needs. Roadworks are inconvenient for most drivers/passengers/public transport. But you seriously have no case here. By all means complain, but the fact remains, you drove through a bus gate on the basis that as you were in a perceived emergency and also a local resident, your needs superseded those of anyone else.

[Random_Person]

No different to going through a Red X or a road closure simply cos a child is throwing a tantrum. Not how life works.

[Durzel]

Responder.First said:

GeniusOfLove said:

I have a child with autism and cerebral palsy and was very disappointed to find that speed limits, bus lanes, yellow boxes, and the rules about income tax all still apply to me no matter how much of an extra special snowflake I feel it makes me.

In other news: world does not revolve around you.

Edited by GeniusOfLove on Tuesday 25th June 16:56

When the main school road was closed during GCSEs I think allowing local residents to use a bus gate is not unreasonable as the alternative was a long detour in rush hour traffic.

When school road is open I have no issue and its once I have used the bus gate.

If they choose to close the main road to school during GCSE period was ill advised and not reasonable. This is the primary road to the school!!! This work should be carried out in school holidays. I did not make reference to any other rules not applying to me.

With respect it sounds like you think you get to decide when you can disregard a prohibition.

"I think allowing local residents to use a bus gate is not unreasonable.". You might think that, but you don't decide the rules, the council does. What you can do is petition them, or your MP for this kind of change. What you can't do is just decide the rules don't apply to you because of circumstances you don't seem to be able to manage.

In terms of your appeal I don't know why you should find yourself "shocked and insulted" that it was rejected, but given you thought you had a special exemption in the first place I don't suppose it should be too surprising.

I don't think your appeal has any legs because 1) you knew it was a bus gate and 2) it was not an emergency. The fact you left too late, even taking account of the circumstances, was a problem of your own making.

[egor110]

Responder.First said:

ChevronB19 said:

But they didn’t allow it. And you did it anyway.

I’m sorry it caused your daughter stress on an important day, but plan ahead, and don’t use special needs as an excuse or justification.

The time to have made your point to the relevant authorities was in advance. I’m glad you’ve paid up (as you should).

I don't see how I can plan ahead for a child who suffers from anxiety I got up 6.30 to get her to exam.

Not an issue I had I hate being late places I would get up and on but I don't have her complex needs. I should not have to allow 20-30 minutes to travel to school 1/4 mile away, when there are no road works traffic does not present an issue.

Why ?

All your neighbours had to allow extra time for there journeys because of said roadworks.

[Robertb]

For future reference the school can make arrangements for late arrivals to sit exams within a time ‘window’ provided they’ve had no contact with other pupils who’ve left the exam.

I only know this as there was a crash which caused big delays locally recently on an exam morning and the school sent out a message telling pupils not to worry.

I hope your daughters exams went ok OP.

Edited by Robertb on Wednesday 26th June 22:00

[jdw100]

Something as important as these exams: I’d have been at school an hour early with my daughter.

Got a coffee there and sat down for some last minute revision or a chat to keep her calm.

[gazza285]

jdw100 said:

Something as important as these exams: I’d have been at school an hour early with my daughter.

Got a coffee there and sat down for some last minute revision or a chat to keep her calm.

Easy to say, but I know only too well that if your anxious and autistic child isn’t ready, then they aren’t going anywhere. Anyone who says to just set off earlier is obviously not aware of life with an autistic child.

Having said that, it is the school that will make allowances for the child, under the SEN plan, not the council highways department.

[nordboy]

I'm with most of the others, you knew you could/ would be fined, did it anyway.

It would have been a bonus to you if they'd let you off, rather than you expecting them to let you off because of the circumstances.

If they had let you off, where do they draw the line? I'd imagine loads of people would then use the gates, and come up with a story or use their kids disabilities as an excuse (not saying the OP did this), we all know how people abuse the disability system at the detriment of the more genuine users.

And I hope that exam and the rest of her exams went well? It's a really stressful time for the kids.

[GasEngineer]

Responder.First said:

I got a reply saying knowing my daughter suffers from all these issues I should have allowed more time for the journey! Also got pages explaining the route I should have taken

This pretty much sums it up OP.

[Responder.First]

nordboy said:

I'm with most of the others, you knew you could/ would be fined, did it anyway.

It would have been a bonus to you if they'd let you off, rather than you expecting them to let you off because of the circumstances.

If they had let you off, where do they draw the line? I'd imagine loads of people would then use the gates, and come up with a story or use their kids disabilities as an excuse (not saying the OP did this), we all know how people abuse the disability system at the detriment of the more genuine users.

And I hope that exam and the rest of her exams went well? It's a really stressful time for the kids.

Bus Gate fines are about cash generation, this one has raised over £1m, it was a through road until a few years ago.

I got one on call during a marathon in a city centre and there was a diversion in place, I still had to go through appeal and prove ambulance service call and they City Council admitted there was a closure and diversion in place on that day as it was a closed circuit!

Also note the top line of the response (Our deepest sympathy in this difficult time), they can't even read what they sent me!

Unless they are referring to the one fatality we had as it was 30 degrees!

Edited by Responder.First on Thursday 27th June 12:43

[Durzel]

Like speed limits and SACs, it's pretty stty cash generation if people can just avoid paying this "tax" completely for adhering to the rules. What then?

Perhaps the reason for bus lanes and gates is so that public transport can get around quicker than private vehicles, and thus be an incentive to take during heavy traffic/commutes. Hard to argue against that from a green point of view at the very least.

[dundarach]

I find it staggering you've the nerve to come on and seek validation!