Bastable Avenue

The controversy about the banned turn onto Bastable Avenue (see http://stibasa.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/special-pleading-at-thames-view.html) has been raised again (see https://www.streetlife.com/conversation/3fyzbtj7n9be6/).

I went and took photos on 4/9/12 to see for myself what all the fuss was about, but since then some of the signs shown here have been removed

The writer on streetlife says that " there is only one sign on the wrong side of the road [sc: and it is on the wrong side of the road] which [sc: and it] is obscured at one point by a traffic light and also by high sided vehicles. You would not look on the left hand side of the road to turn right".

As the photo below shows there were 3 sets signs on the near side (where signs always are). The middle set had the CCTV warning sign. The second photo shows the furthest away of those three from a bit closer.

Special pleading at Thames View

The council newspaper, 'the news', has printed a letter from someone apparently complaining that his colleague has been fined for turning into Bastable Avenue at the Renwick Road end between 6am and 10am when it is banned.

The rising bollards that would prevent this are not working and currently the ban is enforced by CCTV followed up by a penalty charge notice. The writer protests that "nobody knew [the CCTV] was operational", but so what? If you do something wrong, protesting you didn't know you'd get caught is no defence. Neither for that matter is blaming the failure of someone or something to physically prevent you from doing the wrong thing.

To crown it all, the writer points out (he estimates) the council will get an income of £9000 a day from 150 infringements at £60 each. Well why not? If you don't want to pay the fine, don't break the rules.