Bus Only Lane

[joe.s-b]

Is it legal for polic car to use a buses only lane when not on a call.

[Bazile]

No - i would say

[sandyRoe]

I don't know, but who's to stop them?

[SirOracle]

Yes

[Jomlett]

A police car is always an emergency vehicle so the answer must be yes.

[Baldric]

Probably, but YOU tell them! . . OK?

[SlackAlice]

No!

[Buenchico]

Bus lane penalties are different to speeding tickets in that the owner (or hirer) of the vehicle is responsible for paying the penalty, not the driver. [The Bus Lane Contraventions (Penalty Charges, Adjudication and Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2005, Section 5].

If a penalty was issued in respect of a police vehicle using a bus lane, that penalty would have to be paid by the owner of the vehicle (the local council) to the enforcement body (the same local council). It would therefore be pointless for such a penalty to be issued.

[sunny-dave]

I seem to remember that NHS Ambulance Trusts get thousands of these penalty notices each year, and some poor buggers then have to appeal against each one giving details of what the Ambulance was doing ... and we wonder where the NHS money goes :(

[Buenchico]

>>>some poor buggers then have to appeal against each one

The only valid grounds for appeal are laid out in the Regulations I've referred to above and, somewhat strangely, emergencies (of any kind) aren't mentioned.

Further, the power of the Department of Transport to make those Regulations is given to them under the provisions of the Transport Act 2000,which also permits the DfT to state, within those Regulations, which vehicles should be exempted from penalties. It's therefore somewhat odd that the DfT has chosen not to write an exemption for emergency service vehicles into the Regulations.

[sunny-dave]

My memory says you're right, Chris.

IIRC it was only the threat of an embarrassing letter to the local paper that persuaded my local council (no names, no pack drill - just think "Naked Lady on a Horse") that enforcing the letter of the law was not a good idea.