The bus lane installed on Putney Bridge has come under fire this week from a motorist who claims it is nothing but a blatant revenue raising exercise'.

James Sexton, who has lived in Putney for 13 years, says he was snapped by a speed camera nipping into the bus lane outside Putney cinema.

He has now been fined, which he is contesting, and wants to warn motorists not to make the same mistake.

He says drivers wanting to turn left into Putney Bridge Road have no alternative but to use the bus lane if they want to avoid getting stuck in a queue of traffic waiting to get down the High Street.

"It's not as if I drove over the bridge in the bus lane. I went the conventional way and stopped at the traffic lights."

He said he has seen countless drivers doing the same thing and wants to warn them that they too could be caught on camera.

"These are precisely the people Councillor Kathy Tracey said on the Wandsworth website that she would not be targeting when she said we are cracking down on those drivers who hog the bus lanes purely to gain an advantage over others'.

"That's sensible enough. So why are motorists turning left being

targeted unfairly? Wherever the revenue is going it's not on road layout design."

But a council spokesman said officers do use discretion when deciding which fines to enforce and invited Mr Sexton to view the video footage to see if he really did only drive in the bus lane for a few yards.

"We are always prepared to review cases," he said.

The Putney Society is currently gathering people's views on the bus lane and other road changes, including a new set of lights on Putney Hill. Call 020 8789 2956 with your comments.

November 12, 2001 12:32