An angry mum has slammed her local council after she received a £70 ($90) fine while reversing her car into her own driveway.
The driver - who wants to be known only as Stephanie - from Reading, UK, could not believe it when she was slapped with the fine for stopping on a red route.
Advert
Several roads across Berkshire have been painted with double red lines along the route of the number 17 bus to indicate where drivers are banned from stopping, in order to ease congestion, although buses, postal services, refuse vehicles and emergency services are exempt.
However, 51-year-old Stephanie believes the rule is a farce for people who live on her road.
She said: "This is just ridiculous. It means that you cannot reverse onto your own driveway - which is a much safer option than reversing into a busy road.
"There's a website called 'Ask the Police' where it says while it's not illegal to reverse into a busy highway, that it's considered safer to reverse into your driveway so you can drive straight out.
Advert
"To me it's just common sense to reverse in. I've been fined for trying to do the right thing.
"There's an old people's home opposite where I live near to at least two primary schools, and it's safer for everyone to reverse in so I can drive straight out.
"To me this is a national issue because this red route scheme is already being used in towns and cities across the UK."
Stephanie received the fine in the post on 20 January for an incident on 13 January, with the fine halved if it was paid within a fortnight. However, she has appealed the fine, which she believes is part of a 'money-making exercise'.
She said: "I have asked the council if that means people can't reverse into their driveways - which will mean they will be reversing into Norcot Road instead - but I haven't yet heard anything back.
Advert
"A number of other people in my street reverse onto their drives so I also just want to warn them that they might be fined for doing that.
"When I got the fine I was very frustrated and angry about it. It's ridiculous. I just think this red route thing is a money-making exercise."
A Reading Borough Council spokesman said: "A red route is a 'no stopping' restriction introduced to keep key public transport routes clear to prevent delays for bus passengers and to remove obstacles and hazards for cyclists and pedestrians.
"Any driver issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) who does not believe they should have received the fine can challenge it by following the procedures detailed on the PCN and explained on the council website."