A taxi driver has raised the alarm over confusing signage for a bus lane along one of the busiest roads in Reading.
Norman Bailey, 73, a hackney carriage taxi driver from Wiltshire, was fined for driving into the westbound bus lane on the A4 Bath Road, between the Greggs drive-thru and the Aldi and Lidl stores.
But he has pointed out a discrepancy in the bus lane rules indicated on road markings and overhead signs.
He said: “The markings on the road seem to redesignate it for buses and cyclists only, but they haven’t taken the signs down.
“The signs above clearly show buses, bikes and taxis are allowed.
“It is obvious I was driving a taxi as there is a ‘taxi’ rooflight on the car. I suspect the council redesignated it.
“The borough council is out of order. When I’m driving, I’ve got to concentrate on the traffic lights, being safe and making sure I’m in lane.”
Mr Bailey was driving his colleagues home from a work celebration in Henley.
The Ford Galaxy he was using is owned by Gabriele Burns, and is registered as a taxi with Wiltshire Council.
Mr Bailey then stated he had appealed the penalty charge notice (PCN) fine issued by Reading Borough Council.
He said: “I do think we have a leg to stand on, and if they don’t cancel it, I’ll go to court in Reading.
“I’m not going to pay the fine. If they are going to redesignate it, they need to take those signs down.”
Mr Bailey initially spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Wednesday, August 12, and the PCN was cancelled on Friday, August 14.
The council has since clarified that taxi drivers are indeed allowed to use the bus lane as indicated by the overhead signs.
A spokesperson said: “In this case, the hackney carriage driver was from outside of Reading, and his vehicle was not on our exemption list. This resulted in him being issued with a penalty charge notice.
“When the driver appealed the PCN and provided his details, we were able to cancel the fine and add his vehicle registration to the exemption list to avoid this happening again.
“The blue road signs, rather than markings on the road, state which vehicles are legally allowed to use the bus lane, and they are correct on this section of the Bath Road.
“National regulations say that any new or repainted bus lanes may only have the words ‘bus lane’ written on the carriageway regardless of the vehicles allowed to use them. This section of bus lane has markings which predate the current legislation, which will be updated in the future.”
