"We had to stop at the bus stop as there were no other spaces to stop safely without blocking traffic."Come on, be honest. Your driver CHOSE to stop at a bus stop because it was more convenient than dropping you off away from bus stops, zebra crossings, traffic lights etc.Basically stopping at all in a bus stop with yellow road markings is always illegal. If the stop is properly marked out with a "No stopping" sign on the bus stop post, there is a clear contravention if you stop there. You could say in mitigation that it was only for 5 seconds, there were no buses around, late at night or whatever. You could also point out that the current Highway Code doesn't make it clear that stopping at a bus stop is actually illegal (see rules 240 amd 243 and the bus stop illustration under Road Markings). The Department for Transport have noted that this needs to be corrected at the next revision. You might like to suggest to Ealing that they use their discretion to waive the penalty in the circumstances, but I doubt that they will.The real issue here, I think, is whether it is appropriate for the council to enforce this law to the letter in this way. For other motoring offences, there is usually a little leeway, such as pavement parking only enforced when at least two wheels are on the pavement, or the 30 mph speed limit enforced only for speeds of 35 mph or more. To enforce the bus stop rule for a stop of 5 seconds looks suspiciously like a revenue-raising activity. I suggest you take this up with your councillors.
Richard Jennings ● 6424d