Unbeknownst to me, in the name of reducing city centre pollution, Arundel Gate is currently part of a traffic management project. Essentially, the entire road has been closed to private vehicles and is now only open to buses and taxis.
For the first two months of the experiment, offenders were simply sent warning notices but now fines are being doled out for the unwary. And it goes like this - I don't know if it is the same in other countries - you are automatically fined £70 ($89 US) but if you pay up within twenty eight days you only pay £35. It is a kind of unsavoury arm twisting to make drivers cough up some cash.
As I say, I knew nothing of the closure and never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect that a major thoroughfare would ever be closed off in this manner but today I received a penalty notice including CCTV photos of Clint and your friendly blogging correspondent behind the wheel.
The offence occurred on the evening of Saturday July 22nd. I had offered to drive Ian and his pregnant girlfriend Sarah to The Crucible Theatre. They had tickets to see "Miss Saigon". As I recall, it was raining and visibility was poor. Besides, I never imagined such a drastic change to historical traffic arrangements. It was a route I have taken many times in the past.
Why would anybody knowingly drive along a heavily restricted road if they knew they would receive a hefty fine as a direct result of that decision? It just does not make sense.
The fine notice concerns my journey back into the city centre to pick Ian and Sarah up. It bothers me that I have not yet received a penalty notice connected with earlier that evening when I set them down outside The Crucible. Perhaps that one will arrive tomorrow to turn my fuming into a seething inferno of rage.
And if you are thinking of saying, "Get over it!" please don't.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/2DluRxt