King Cross Bus Lane Unlawfull....By Thomas the Taxi

We would argue that when conditions within a bus lane change, it heralds the start of a new bus lane. Therefore the regulating body must give clear and proper warning and must not be deceptive or misleading.
All bus lanes must have an advance sign to warn there is a bus lane ahead and give you time to change lanes. This should be cited 30m in advance of the taper where the speed limit is 30mph and 45m in advance where it is over 30mph.

The TSRGD does not specify exactly where this sign should be located. However according to the guidance in Chapter 3 of the Traffic Signs Manual(page 130): "Where the speed limit is 20 mph or 30 mph, the sign should be sited 30m in advance of the lead-in taper formed by the road marking to diagram 1010, with a minimum clear visibility distance of 45m. Where the speed limit is 40 mph, the sign should be sited 45m in advance of the taper with a minimum clear visibility distance of 60m"

A bus lane should be commenced by a diagonal taper in the form of a dashed line approximately 30m long to give drivers time to change lane

The 30m comes from the guidance in Chapter 5 of Traffic Signs Manual and refers to diagram 1:10, so 30m for a 3m wide lane, 40m for a 4m wide lane etc.

The Bus lane that runs in front of Kings Cross Station does not have the advanced warning sign and the diagonal taper dashed line is approx 3m at the most. We have to abide by the traffic orders laid down by the secretary of state but so does TfL and the local councils.

In our opinion, if you receive a ticket in this bus lane you should appeal on the above grounds.

The photos contained in this article are examples of how the signage should be