Driver fined after pulling in to let ambulance pass
AMAN was fined for pulling into a bus lane to let an ambulance pass. Mark Richards, 37, received the £70 penalty after pulling out of the way of the emergency vehicle in North Road, Cardiff.
CCTV footage from the incident shows the moment Mr Richards, from Llanrumney, enters the bus lane to pull over in a bus stop on October 18.
After the vehicle passes, his car is then seen to leave the lane before continuing in the correct lane.
Mr Richards said: “I was driving to town and an ambulance was behind me. The car behind me pulled over in the bus lane and I followed straightaway as the ambulance wouldn’t be able to pass.
“Otherwise both of us would have blocked both lanes.
“As soon as the ambulance went past I pulled back out.
“It’s ridiculous. In the still photo they provided you can’t see the ambulance. I pulled in, then two or three seconds later the ambulance goes past. It was going quite fast.”
The father of three added: “All they had to do was look at the footage.
“When an ambulance is on a call every second counts.”
Mr Richards said he paid the fine on the day he received the penalty letter. But he claims he was not aware he was able to view the full footage from the incident until after he paid the £35 fee.
He said: “I paid it as soon as I found out about it.
“If I hadn’t paid it, it would have gone up to £70 so I would rather pay it and then appeal afterwards.
“I’ve been driving for 10 years and I’ve never had a fine, so I panicked.
“I would never have known the procedure.”
A spokesman for Cardiff council said motorists are able to appeal against a penalty but cannot appeal once a fine has been paid.