Aberdeen City Council has admitted that three of the signs informing drivers about the Union Street bus gate are wrong.
The signs in question all give incorrect distances to the bus gate, with two of them indicating that the traffic restriction is further away than it actually is.
The council says it is aware of the mistakes but “delays in the supply chain” have made it tricky to get replacement signs.
What is wrong with the signs?
The problem with the signs is that they give drivers specific information about the distance to the bus gate, but for two signs on Market Street and one sign on Union Street these distances are wrong.
On Union Street, the incorrect sign is located opposite Broad Street on the corner outside the tourist information.
It states that the distance to the bus gate is 200 yards ahead, but in reality the distance is just half that, at 100 yards.
At the sign on the corner of Market Street and Trinity Quay, the sign states that the bus gate is ¼ mile ahead (440 yards) when it is really approximately 150 yards ahead.
The sign further along Market Street outside The Exchange building has the bus gate marked as 200 yards ahead. From here, the bus gate is closer to 350 yards ahead.
By giving drivers the wrong information, many road users may incorrectly believe they have time to turn off or reach their destination before hitting the bus gate and receiving a fine.
How the incorrect bus gate signs were discovered
Thousands of fines have been dished out to motorists who have driven through the bus gate since it was installed back in September 2020.
Debbie Nobel received a fine in February 2022 when she had been driving into the city to visit family.
Debbie, who is originally from Aberdeen but now lives in Arbroath, was not aware she had violated any traffic restrictions until a letter arrived at her door.
“I knew that parts of Union Street were pedestrianised, so I was on the lookout for that,” she said.
As she drove along King Street and approached the bus gate on Union Street, she spotted a sign which stated it was 200 yards ahead.
“I looked at the distance ahead and calculated that 200 yards would take you to Cafe Nero and I saw that part of the road looked like it had been partly closed off, so it seemed to make sense that motorists weren’t allowed there.”
Debbie unwittingly drove through the bus gate, though she didn’t find out until weeks later when the letter landed on her doormat.
“It really is quite threatening, saying you must pay £60 right away or be threatened with further legal action,” she said.
“I paid the fine but then I really started thinking about the signs – I had definitely seen them so wasn’t sure how I’d still managed to make the mistake.”
Debbie contacted the council and asked for pictures of the signs she would have seen approaching the bus gate, then she measured the distances on Google and spotted something strange.
“My guess of 200 yards bringing you to Cafe Nero was correct, which meant the sign must be wrong,” she said.
“I asked the council about the signage and they confirmed it had been wrongly placed since May 2021.”
And this sign isn’t the only one that is incorrect.
The council confirmed that two signs on Market Street are also wrong.
“It’s misleading so many drivers,” said Debbie.
“It makes you wonder how many people they have tricked into paying that fine because of their failure to update inaccurate information of the restriction.”
Why hasn’t the council fixed it?
According to photos taken by Aberdeen City Council, the inaccurate signs have been in place since at least May 2021.
A spokesperson said that they are aware of the issue and that plans are in place to install new signs.
However there are currently “delays in the supply chain” which means that the signs still have not been changed.
The council also said that the signs cannot be temporarily altered because they must be made of retroflective material which is visible at all hours of the day.
A council officer said they believed “the signage provided ahead of this point is sufficient to guide of the restriction.”
Earlier this year the council’s transport spokeswoman Sandra Macdonald acknowledged that there are issues with the clarity of the signs for the bus gate.
She suggested that cash generated by the controversial bus gate should be used to improve the signage for it.
How many people have been fined and can I appeal my charge?
For the first six months of 2021, not a single person was fined due to an “unrepairable equipment fault” in the camera monitoring the bus gate.
However this was repaired in July last year and between then and December, 42,220 fines were issued to drivers for going through the traffic measure.
The financial penalty is £60, but reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
This means that the 42,220 fines issued have the potential to generate £2.5 million for Aberdeen City Council.
Debbie paid her £30 fine on time but is now pushing for a refund since discovering the numerous incorrect signs.
“I have put in a complaint to the council who say I may be given compensation of my £30 fine,” she said.
“I am still waiting to hear back from them.”
The council recently announced a new bus gate will be installed further up Union Street, replacing the current controversial gate which runs between Greggs and the junction with Market Street near Sports Direct.
You may also like:
- More than 42,000 drivers fined for driving through bus gate on Aberdeen’s Union Street
- Fined for going through the bus gate? You can pay on the city council’s website here.
- Or, you can appeal your bus gate fine here.
