AMBULANCE DRIVER FORCED TO PAY BUS LANE FINE
Sheriff officers demand cash after two-year battle
A DRIVER transporting a dead body for police has been forced to pay a £169 fine.
Marshall Carr says he was told by officers to take a bus lane as the other routes in Glasgow city centre were cordoned off for a bike event.
A PRIVATE ambulanceman caught in a bus lane while transporting a dead body for police has been forced to pay a £169 fine despite a two year fight.
Marshall Carr, owner of MGC Reparation Services, admitted defeat in the dispute when sheriff officers turned up this week demanding the cash – more than FIVE times the cost of the original fine dished out by the city council.
Mr Carr said: “I feel disgusted. I can’t believe it has gone from a £30 fine right up to £169. I had to pay, but I’m angry at myself for paying it.
s reported in the Evening Times, Mr Carr’s battle with the city council began on September 14, 2016 when his company was asked to collect the body ahead of the 2016 Pedal for Scotland event.
Mr Carr claimed police told him to take the Cathedral Street bus lane as other routes out of the city centre were cordoned off due to the cycling event.
He was then ordered to pay a £30 fine, which increased to £90 due to failure to pay within the timescales as the dispute rumbled on.
Mr Carr said he had to pay after the sheriff officers imposed a notice on the original owner of the vehicle, even though it now belongs to him.
He added: “I had to pay it – I had no choice. I am really angry about it. They just don’t care and the person who is making the decision at the council about this is just not interested.”
He added: “I was under duress but they just wanted their money.
“Bus lanes are just about making money. I don’t understand why there are bus lanes when buses travel on the same roads we do. We all pay road tax – why do they get better treatment than us?”
Glasgow City Council insists the matter was dealt with according to policy, and that no evidence was presented to support Mr Carr’s claims. A spokeswoman said: “There is a statutory appeals process for challenging bus lane contraventions. In this particular case, no appeal was made to the Parking and Bus Lane Tribunal Service nor did we receive any evidence from Mr Carr in support of his claim that Police Scotland gave permission to use the bus lane.
“While the other person may no longer be the registered keeper of the car, they were at the time of the offence. The notice has been paid and the case is closed.”