Beware the 'flying motorbike' sign

 

Mr Mustard thinks that by now, every driver in London would be aware of the 'flying motorbike' sign given that it spread across London like a rash during covid before when, although in the Highway Code for decades, it was little used. Councils rushed to cash in when they realised how easy it was to miss this sign (you wouldn't miss a red no entry sign) and how they could stick it halfway down a well used thoroughfare and get the cash register ringing like crazy.

This morning Mr Mustard took a phone call from a lady who had driven into Holmes Road, NW5 as above and received a PCN. The signs are set back a bit, they should be more prominent, but an adjudicator would probably find them to be adequate. Looking online at the 23 PCNs which went to the indepedent tribunal for this road, the vast majority were lost. Camden are generally well organised.

When you see a 'no through road' sign you expect to be able to drive down it until physically stopped, but no, it may be a stoppage due to signage, like these

Observant readers will have spotted 'Holmes Rd' overlaid by google on the image. Yes, this is further down the same road, about 80m further down. Yes, you guessed it, the lady drove straight through this restriction as well. So that's two PCNs at £160. Ouch.

Now you have to get out of Holmes Road. Two places where you don't want to turn left to get out !

 

You really need to be sharp to drive in London these days. Forget the sat nav, start looking through the windscreen, at everything, say out loud all the signs you see and also go online and read about traffic signs a free site which will save you hundreds of £££.

Do you know what this sign means?

It means no vehicles, except cycles being pushed. There, that has saved you a few quid.

The end.

CPZ = Controlled parking zone: how do they work?

 

The above map shows the extent of one of the CPZs which blanket the whole of the London Borough of Camden. Therefore, if you are parked on a single yellow line in Camden which does not have a time plate, and you think it is a good place to park, that may not be so as you have missed the zone entry sign which applies.

Here for example, is the sign which you drive past at Chalk Farm Road just before you turn left into Castlehaven Road. It is a busy spot but you are still expected to spot the sign and memorise the times (hopefully you know what day of the week it is today so can limit your attention to that day's entry).

Ironically Camden Council themselves had forgotten they had recently increased the daily end time to 11pm. They therefore put into evidence with the tribunal a rather muddled collection of evidence about when the CPZ times applied and once Mr Mustard queried the consistency of their evidence, coupled with his own photographic evidence, Camden realised they had right royally messed up and cancelled the PCN the day before the tribunal hearing.

As a complete aside Mr Mustard doesn't know why anyone from Barnet, who doesn't have reduced mobility or a big load to shift or some other compelling reason, would drive to Camden from Barnet given the Northern Line goes straight through it and the amount you have to pay to park nowadays.

The biggest reason why people get PCNs on single yellow lines is optimism.

They think that as it is Sunday or it is 10 at night that the yellow line will not be operational. Stop thinking like that, you are setting yourselves up for a fall, at £130.

You need to think differently and become an observant driver. One police driver training exercise used to be that the driver has to memorise every sign he passes (or speak it out loud) and then the instructor will randomly ask him/her what the last sign of a particular type was and if the driver can't remember they have to stop the car, walk back and check. Drivers quickly learn to be observant.

As you drive along you need to be observant for:

- speed limit signs 

- red route signs (no stopping) 

- banned turns: left, right, straight on

- compulsory direction signs: must go left etc

- traffic and pedestrian lights

- yellow box junctions

- other traffic, horses & pedestrians

- no motor vehicles signs (the flying motorbike) which are often at the entrance to part time 'school streets'

to which you should now add

- cpz zone signs.

It is clearly the case that to drive in London without picking up penalties by the bucketload you need to drive with your full attention on the road so switch off everything you don't need (do you really need your satnav or route app as that can lead you into trouble when a historically ok route has recently changed) and start to drive. Consider joining the Institute of Advanced Motoring or ROSPA, stop driving by rote, look through the windscreen and start really looking for signs, you will be amazed at how much you have missed in the past and you will save money.

An alternative way  to find out the hours of a single yellow line in London is just the appyparking+ app (other apps may be available) which although chargeable would pay for itself as soon as you avoid a single PCN.

In summary. if you find a single yellow line without a sign you have missed a zone entry sign on your route somewhere. It might be half a mile back. Parking bays, on the other hand, are always signed locally so you can trust what you see.

If you don't take a risk you won't lose the gamble and £130.

The end.

Nutley Terrace - Camden

You need to stay out of Nutley Terrace (from Fitzjohn Avenue) between 8 and 9am and from 3pm to 4.15pm as my inbox is filling up with requests for help and a moving traffic PCN is hard to beat.

This is the warning sign if you come straight across into Nutley Terrace from Nutely Terrace (i.e. across Fitzjohn)

This is the warning sign as you come down Fitzjohn

Out of hours the signs are covered up which I think is wrong as they don't get imprinted on your brain.

Warning sign as you come north up Fitzjohn. The lovely trees make the sign hard to see.

A nearer view

The next turning to the north, Netherhall Gardens, which has the same restriction but doesn't get the same amount of traffic.

 

I have put the photos here so i can send a link to people rather than a 37mb email.