Manchester Police get it wrong!

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I was driving along Anson Rd in Manchester last week out of the city and the road there is split between 2 lanes. There are signs saying "bus lane “4-7 pm” so as the traffic was backed up in the second lane, and it was 10.15 in the morning I used the inside lane. Not long after a Police car pulled in front of me with the blues on and the “stop” sign illuminated. The driver got out and approached me and the conversation went like this…
Police: Hello driver, did you know you just drove half a mile in a bus lane?
Me: No I didn’t.
Police: Yes you did, all the way along Anson Road.
Me: but it’s only a bus lane between 4-7 pm, it says so on the signs.
Police: (after a pause) Hang on.
He then walk back to the nearest bus lane sign (about 200 yards at this point) and then walks back to me.
Police: Ok, but be careful, I have your number.
Me: Good, perhaps you should have a copy of the Highway Code too. Can I go now?
Police: Yes, but drive more carefully.

More carefully■■? I drove away, there was so much more I wanted to say to this jumped up idiot who came across as so smug to begin with and then just went away without so much as a sorry or even an oops!

2

I love the fact most other motorists won’t use bus lanes when they aren’t in hours, it saves me loads of time. :laughing:

3

^THIS^

4

Also this^

Have to say though I would have just driven off when he went for his walk, no way was he going to come after you.

5

should have ask if he was driving without due care and attention as he hadnt read the sign :grimacing: :blush:

6

What a ■■■■■ He only said the last bit to save face as you’d shown him up :laughing:

7

rob22888:
I love the fact most other motorists won’t use bus lanes when they aren’t in hours, it saves me loads of time. :laughing:

I use them when I’m familiar with the road…otherwise they seem to always stitch me up (like the hard shoulder love lanes on the m-way)

8

Was he a cop or a PCSO sounds more like the latter to me, if a cop did he have blue eppaulets or black and numbers on can you remember.

9

Lorries should be allowed to use bus lanes at any time of the day, dis my f’ing head in seeing them empty in rush hour. Thought we where ment to be saving the world or some ■■■■■ like that, keep lorries moving and reduce carbon viva la revolution!!

10

merc0447:
Lorries should be allowed to use bus lanes at any time of the day, dis my f’ing head in seeing them empty in rush hour. Thought we where ment to be saving the world or some [zb] like that, keep lorries moving and reduce carbon viva la revolution!!

There is a bus lane going into Leeds (A64?) that HGV’s can use, the amount of dirty looks you get from car drivers stuck in the queue is golden. :smiley: However it only works because there are no bus stops on it (that aren’t pull ins), otherwise you’d get problems with lorries trying to bully there way out to get past the buses and we wouldn’t actually make any better progress.

In my humble opinion though, bus lanes largely exist as a means of councils trumpeting their green credentials. The majority of bus lanes I come across have a negligible impact on bus journey times due to the fact they aren’t continuous, buses are actually often slowed down by traffic queuing to get out of them. Liverpool council have realised this, hence why they are scrapping the majority of them.

There is one near where I live that always has an ANPR smart car spying on it issuing tickets… the lane is 200 yards long as doesn’t help the buses whatsoever. :unamused:

11

Born Idle:
I was driving along Anson Rd in Manchester last week out of the city and the road there is split between 2 lanes. There are signs saying "bus lane “4-7 pm” so as the traffic was backed up in the second lane, and it was 10.15 in the morning I used the inside lane. Not long after a Police car pulled in front of me with the blues on and the “stop” sign illuminated. The driver got out and approached me and the conversation went like this…
Police: Hello driver, did you know you just drove half a mile in a bus lane?
Me: No I didn’t.
Police: Yes you did, all the way along Anson Road.
Me: but it’s only a bus lane between 4-7 pm, it says so on the signs.
Police: (after a pause) Hang on.
He then walk back to the nearest bus lane sign (about 200 yards at this point) and then walks back to me.
Police: Ok, but be careful, I have your number.
Me: Good, perhaps you should have a copy of the Highway Code too. Can I go now?
Police: Yes, but drive more carefully.

More carefully■■? I drove away, there was so much more I wanted to say to this jumped up idiot who came across as so smug to begin with and then just went away without so much as a sorry or even an oops!

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: If you actually said that to him then respect! :laughing: :laughing:

12

Excellent when you get one over a jobsworth

13

truckman020:
Excellent when you get one over a jobsworth

[churchill]Ohhh yes![/churchill]

14

merc0447:
Lorries should be allowed to use bus lanes at any time of the day, dis my f’ing head in seeing them empty in rush hour. Thought we where ment to be saving the world or some [zb] like that, keep lorries moving and reduce carbon viva la revolution!!

Newcastle have No Car Lanes brilliant

Was he a new cop trying it on & thought you hadnt read the sign right

15

rob22888:
I love the fact most other motorists won’t use bus lanes when they aren’t in hours, it saves me loads of time. :laughing:

Especially when they look at you thinking you are a naughty man for using a bus lane :laughing:

16

As Clarkson once said ‘‘Bloody Bus lanes, how come poor people get priority’’ :smiley:

17

All the bus lanes in Liverpool have been suspended for the last year or so and no one goes in them. When they where ‘live’, there was loads going in them and coppers doing them for it :smiley:

18

We’ve got a bus lane that goes straight through the middle of a roundabout down Stairfoot in Barnsley near B&Q it’s one of the busiest junctions in town. Funny thing is no busses have ever used the bus lane in the 15 years it’s been built as the tag system for the lights has never worked :unamused: :confused:
A fella called Dave Cherry has even made a song about it called, " I’d love t give bloke a clout, who built that flaming Stairfoot rarnd abart!) :laughing: :laughing:

19

Stefluc:
Was he a cop or a PCSO sounds more like the latter to me, if a cop did he have blue eppaulets or black and numbers on can you remember.

He got out of a marked Police car so I presumed he was Police, although I didn’t actually notice his shoulder markings, or the back of his jacket either. I did say that he should have a copy of the Highway Code. I wanted to say a whole lot more but I admit I didn’t have the nerve!

20

burnley-si:
should have ask if he was driving without due care and attention as he hadnt read the sign :grimacing: :blush:

Sometimes they know everything and know nothing. A couple of months ago I was coming back from a Vintage Motor Cycle Club meeting on my old 1942 Harley, along the A40 dual carriageway. Car came up behind me and stayed there; I’m only doing about 50 so twigged something wasn’t right. He flashed me, I ignored him; wasn’t going to pull over till I was certain it was a copper. Blues come on, I pull into next lay-by, thinking perhaps my rear bulb had failed. Stopped, looked round, rear light working; conversation with plod as follows;

Sidevalve; “What can I do for you gentlemen?”
Plod 1; “Do you know that there’s no MOT certificate showing for this bike?”
SV; “Correct”.
Plod looks non-plussed,after a few seconds I take pity on the poor fool and explain in very short simple words that vehicles registered before 1960 are exempt from MOT tests. 1-0 to me so far.

Plod 2:“We pulled you over because we observed your bike weaving back there”.
SV; “Shine yer torch down there on the rear suspension”.
Plod 2 does so and looks as baffled as his mate.
SV; “There isn’t any, is there? And if you’d observed the road sign a bit further back you’d have noticed the sign for uneven road surface. I was avoiding the pot-hole.” Silence from Plods, 2-0 to me.

Plod 1 then decides it’s time to play the joker.
“Have you had a drink sir?”
SV; “Yes, I had a pint at the rugby club; you can breathalyse me if you want to”
Plod 1 scuttles over to the car, opens the boot; calls his mate over, muttered conversation follows, Plod 2 comes back to me and says;
“You’ll have to wait a few minutes, the breathalyser is in the other car”.
SV (getting bored by now) “Don’t they trust you to have one each?”
He glares at me, says nowt; a minute later another car turns up, he gets the kit ready, I blow into the bag.
Plod (looking slightly baffled) “It’s reading zero. I thought you said you’d had a pint?”
SV; “I have. Coke. You didn’t ask me what of; can I go now please?”

With that I walked away, put my helmet on, stood at side of bike ready to kickstart it and noticed Plod 2 sidling up to take a closer look. Turned left twistgrip to fully ■■■■■■ ignition, two kicks on full throttle to get some juice in the pipe (anyone who’s ridden old British bikes knows what’s coming next… :wink: ) ignition on, swing kickstart, almighty backfire and a sheet of flame from exhaust and Plod jumps back a good couple of yards as I crash the bike into gear and bugger off home. They didn’t bother following me. :grimacing: