A driver is furious after he pulled into a bius lane to let a bus lane in order to let a police van pass - only to be fined £195.
The man momentarily pulled into the bus lane to allow the emergency vehicle pass, saying he thought he was doing "the right thing", admitting that he is confused as to why he was "penalised for that".
And despite appealing the hefty fine, his local council have insisted he has to pay.
Stephen James, 37, was driving along Forest Road in Walthamstow, east London, when a police van pulled onto the wrong side of the road in order to get past him and other vehicles.
Video footage from the incident on September 13, 2022, which shows the van unable to get past while a car coming towards them was making a turn.
And in order give the police van more space to overtake - as it appeared to be trying to do - Stephen pulled into the bus lane.
Despite this footage, Waltham Forest Council have insisted that the 37-year-old motorist pays the hefty sum.
Stephen admitted that he unfortunately missed the first letter sent to him, so only found out about the fine when he got a second notice.
He told MyLondon: "When I got the second one I looked at the evidence and thought it’s rubbish that I've not seen the first one but should be ok to appeal this one looking at the evidence.”
Speaking about why he pulled into the bus lane, Stephen said that "some action was needed" in order to to allow the police to pass.
He explained: "You see [the police van] coming up and you know you need to do something to help in that situation.
"They weren’t going to be able to speed past so some action was needed."
He added: "I done it trying to the right thing, and I've been penalised for that."
Stephen was left surprised that his appeal failed after reading an article which outlined that councils would not fine drivers if they moved out of the way of an emergency vehicle flashing lights or using its siren.
However, despite Stephen's presumption, a wrong move could land you with a huge fine.
A Waltham Forest Council spokesperson said: “The rules in London are very clear about entering bus lanes, and it is the responsibility of drivers to know and follow them.
"The driver can be seen moving into the bus lane to let the emergency vehicle pass, before proceeding to drive the length of the bus lane, despite having the opportunity to re-enter the carriageway.”
The council explained that drivers will not be fined if they move aside for an emergency services vehicle that is responding to a call and displaying emergency lights and sirens.
The highway code states that you should give way to vehicles with flashing lights - including ambulances, police cars, fire engines and emergency doctors.
In this instance, avoid doing the following:
- Moving through a red light - which will also result in you having three penalty points on your licence.
- Ducking into a bus lane to clear the path
- Entering a yellow box junction
