Can you clarify which point on Hairini street the infringement was, it seems that at the end of the street it is obvious that a bus only exit lane exists with it being clearly marked with a green surface and signs to state that, the other end of Hairini street starts at a roundabout and as you go into the street there is minor signage stating "No Exit" then another sign at the Stephens place corner which says "No Through Traffic Except Buses" did you in fact get the notice for turning left into Stephens street, if so I would agree that the signs are inadequate to show their intention and unless they have recently added a green road surface and marked it as a bus only lane, you would have a good argument, I guess the no through traffic could be for the entire length of Hairini street but that isn't obvious either.
cognition,
Jan 24, 4:00am
IMO, would have thought the entry to that on ramp should have ideally been flanked by a pair of "No Entry" signs with a smaller rectangular sign "Except Buses" directly underneath. Looking at it from Street View, I can imagine it would be easy to miss until it's too late.
differentthings,
Jan 24, 4:03am
there are multiple no entry, bus only etc signs there.
cognition,
Jan 24, 4:17am
FWIW, Still think it should have been flanked by a pair of proper "No Entry" (red circle with white bar) signs. That way, it would have been a lot more intuitive and prominent earlier on from a distance.
I see from Google streetview There was a "No Exit" and a "No Through Traffic Except Buses" very early on (with the latter sign perhaps being too early), I count at least 3 side streets between those earlier signs and the actual on ramp it self (Context issues)
differentthings,
Jan 24, 5:52am
what about the big bus lane only sign painted on the street as well as the others.
cognition,
Jan 24, 7:27am
Based off what I see from Google street view (It may very well have changed since then)
I'd say it's not going to be obvious until you are so close to the intersection that you won't be able to abort without slamming on the anchors and potentially end up stopping dead centre in the middle of the friggin intersection.
Not helped by the IMO poorly erased dashed road markings bordering the mouth of Hamahiki street potentially inadvertently guiding people forward.
Save when it is raining fairly heavily and/or at night, that green road marking ain't going to be showing up all that well in those conditions.
Still of the opinion. - Proper red circle "No Entry" signs. Easier to recognize further away rather than a sign with text sufficiently small you need to be close to read and then process it. - That orange "expect delays at peak times" sign should be swapped out for a prominent "Buses only may go straight ahead"
The more I look at it, the more rubbishly done I think it is, Sorry. (I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree)
nzoomed,
Dec 27, 1:13am
Not a speeding ticket, but a council issued infringement notice for driving on a bus lane.
Basically the end of a street here has been converted to a bus lane but no proper signage exists marking no exit and only sign that says bus lane right where it starts with no signage warning vehicles not to take that route on the Intersection. By the time I saw the sign it was too late for me to turn around. Spoke to a few members of council who agree with me and have been told that others have been let off for the same reason as me.
I think I have a good chance of winning the case, but what costs are involved if I was to loose the case?
$150 for taking a wrong turn by accident is ridiculous and is more than a typical speeding ticket which IMHO is a way worse offense.
budgel,
Dec 27, 1:27am
Ask the members of council what the appropriate steps are to put your case for being excused. If you could put a coherent case to Fair Go they may pick it up and run with it. Doing anything through a Lawyer is going to make the $150 seem like small change in my opinion.
saxman99,
Dec 27, 1:30am
If you lose there’ll be costs incurred in addition to the fine. These can vary depending on a few things. Typically it’s around $130 but can be adjusted as low as $30 if the JP thinks you have made a good point, presented correctly, have hardship or perhaps were just unlucky rather than deliberately engaged in breaking the rules.
Far and away the reason people are not successful in court who should have been is because they have no idea how to present their case, how to give evidence, how to address the court and how to answer questions. If you are not 100% confident then you need to get proper advice. The cost of this will of course exceed the original fine many times over and so the result is that most people very quickly arrive at the CBF stage which is why the authorities keep getting away with the type of nonsense mentioned above.
Unless you are a lawyer, have a mate who is or are very clued up on how the court works you are at a huge disadvantage in our system. It is stacked in their favour.
kazbanz,
Dec 27, 1:31am
It costs NOTHING to sent a letter disputing the infringement notice to the issuer --ie council. If there are not appropriate signs telling you there is a bus only lane then it should be clear cut. I would be taking a lot of pictures though, In case the signs go up in the future.
nzoomed,
Dec 27, 1:35am
I wouldn't use a lawyer for that reason, but the court fees are possibly payable if you loose. I read somewhere its about 40 dollars, but not sure if it applies to this or not.
I've spoken in person to a councilor who has tried to act on my behalf and emailed the people responsible but they never got a reply, he also requested that they refund all paid tickets until the signage is fixed. Another councilor said they run independently and don't typically listen to council on any person's behalf. I have been fighting it all month through their email for appealing a notice, but they basically won't even listen to me or acknowledge my explanations.
nzoomed,
Dec 27, 1:36am
Yup I already done this and sent them photos in my case, basically they deny there is any issues despite me showing them photos that say otherwise. Hence court is the only option left.
differentthings,
Dec 27, 1:39am
Lol are you talking about Hairini st. If so there are plenty of signage warning you. a quick Google map search will clearly show you where the signs are
nzoomed,
Dec 27, 1:44am
Yup harini street and only signs are right at start of bus lane, none warn of fine and no signs at intersection saying no exit. All the councilors that responded to me email agree with me and told me that others have been let off in the sam situation.
sw20,
Dec 27, 1:49am
My brother got off in Auckland from AT for similar. He wrote in challenging the infringement notice and said signage was inadequate, giving him no warning before he was on the bus lane.
apollo11,
Dec 27, 1:50am
Interestingly if you copy and paste 'harini street' into google, the first thing that pops up is 'harini street Tauranga bus lane'. So seems to be a common search.
nzoomed,
Dec 27, 1:56am
Yeah there have been a few news articles about it, its not like I didn't even know it was closed off, but simply forgot and I hardly am in that part of town and just went through like common nature as you are programmed to just turn in there like ive always done. I didn't realise what I did before its too late, where the bus lane starts changes to a 60k zone, so I was already putting my foot on the gas.
There isn't several signs warning and ive taken photos to prove it. None say no exit, only one small sign by a power pole that says "no through traffic except buses" not only is it vague, but is not very large or visible and easy to miss. Not everyone reads the paper nor should be expected to be aware of it.
Only sign that says bus lane are the ones in your Google maps link, by the time I noticed ot I had already gone past them.
Council may wipe it if you write in . if it was cops youd have no chance they lie in court or say "its irrelevant ' even when their own photo of car shows isnt in the zone they say it was .
lakeview3,
Dec 27, 3:45am
many people don’t get those free newspapers. We don’t. We have a no circulars sign so we get nothing. Also we can’t read the news online either if it’s behind a paywall.
If something isn’t clearly signposted then what do they expect? People aren’t mind readers. If I was coming along I wouldn’t have a clue there was a bus lane because I am not a local.
lakeview3,
Dec 27, 3:46am
send the photo in with your letter, I don’t see how they can police something that isn’t clearly indicated by signposting. Also write the names of the councillors who agree with you if they are willing to back themselves up in public.
msigg,
Dec 27, 4:28am
I'm with you on this one stevo2, anyway I wouldn't waste my time fighting or any correspondence on such a thing, personal responsibility comes to mind, but hey" each to their own", in life you win some and loose some. Good luck.
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