Keep left means don't go right

Mr Mustard cycled down Palmerston Rd, Palmers Green, London n13 not all that long ago. It has been redesigned to be less of a through route as it is parallel to Green Lanes, an A road which is the natural and intended route for through traffic.

Looking at the image below there is a cctv camera on the black pole to the right of the cyclist. There is also a cctv camera warning sign which doesn't have to be near the camera itself, just dotted about the borough generally.

Mr Mustard wondered what the point of the camera was as surely no-one would be caught by it doing anything wrong at all but it was Mr Mustard who was wrong which he found out when he saw the multiple PCNs for Mr Klass. A further search revealed multiple PCNs for the same contravention by Mr Cimen.

What these two gentlemen did, as the decisions explain, is to go to the right of the centre island in order to turn right. You can legally turn right by going past the bollard, turning around and then going left but that takes a whole minute longer. Saving one minute 5 times has cost one of them £650 and the other one £520.

Here is the adjudication decision in the case of Mr Klass.

In a parking case the adjudicator has the power to recommend the council cancel a PCN or moderate the liability. They don't have that power in moving traffic cases and thus the adjudicator made a suggestion. It is the council who hold the power in such a situation as only they have the legal power to exercise discretion which they are on the whole very reluctant to exercise. 

In this particular location turning right isn't dangerous as the road you enter is one way. On the other hand there are multiple cynical refusals to follow the rules of the road and the unexpected is dangerous if another vehicle appears, perhaps a cyclist as this is a good route south for cycles from the North Circular.

Mr Musatrd doesn't suppose that deliberate contraventions will be committed by either gentlemen ever again but enforcing one PCN would have been enough to achieve the traffic management purpose without Enfield Council deciding to seize the opportunity to fill their coffers.

You have been warned.

Mr Mustard