Boater's plea for leniency over Reading bus lane fines rejected

David Gregory was on a boating holiday earlier this year when his Dutch barge got stuck at the High Bridge, between Bridge Street and London Street.

The boat, which is 120 years old, was unable to pass the bridge as the mast was up.

That led Mr Gregory, aged 62, to have to go back to his home near Warminster to pick up a jack needed to bring the mast down.

But this led to him falling afoul of the Minster Street bus lane, which he inadvertently went into while finding a place to park.

He said “I got charged twice for driving in a bus lane in Reading. I don’t live there, I've never been to Reading in my life and  I’m pretty upset about this.

“I couldn’t move, I couldn’t go back, I was in a bit of a crisis.”

He added that his son, aged 14 at the time, was on the boat, and expressed concern about harassment in the area which has been known as an anti-social behaviour hotspot.

Ultimately, the two of them were able to collapse the mast and travel further down the canal.

The Dutch boat owned by David Gregory, aged 62. He took his son, now 15, with him on a boating trip along the River Kennet in the Summer of this year. (Image: David Gregory)

He said: “I thought that was it, a done deal. A week or two later I got two charge notices from the local authority for £70 for having driven through a bus lane.

“I contested it, I said this seems a bit unreasonable. Then they doubled the fee. They just don’t seem capable to understand that I had to use the road to get to the boat."

Ultimately, Mr Gregory entered the bus lane twice at 8.13pm on Friday, May 31 and 6.46am on Saturday, June 1.

He felt that he had no choice but to pay after being served the Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) by Reading Borough Council.

Mr Gregory said: “In order to prevent further court action, I’ve paid the fee. It appears I’ve been bullied. They were very unable to understand the situation.

“They sent a photo of me with other cars along the road. There were no buses at the time, it was outside of bus times. All they say to me is ‘the system is the system’.

“It seems very unreasonable.

One of the Minster Street penalty charge notices (PCNs) that David Gregory acquired while trying to rescue the boat he owns in Reading. (Image: David Gregory / Reading Borough Council)

“There were a lot of roadworks, the whole thing seems to be a bit of a trap, there was no discernment in the process. It’s quite a lot of money.

“I’ve ended up paying them £140 – two lots of £70. They lowered it knowing that they were in a sticky wicket. I feel very aggrieved for the inability of them to understand my situation. I’m still finding it occupying my mind, I’m upset by it.

“I think it’s a trap.

“It’s an aggressive money-making con.”

In the 2022/23 municipal year, 4,924 fines were issued for breaching the bus lane rules in Minster Street, which states that only buses, bicycles and 'authorised vehicles' may use it between 4pm and 11am.

Mr Gregory's call for clemency in acknowledgement of the difficult situation he was in has been rejected by the council.

He has also written a poem about the incident, which you can read in full below: 

A council spokesperson said: "Motorists who receive a PCN by post may make representations if they wish to challenge it.

"If this is rejected, the individual has a further 28 days to either pay the penalty charge or appeal against the decision.

"In this instance, the individual’s communication was received outside the time to make an appeal.

"However, the challenge was given consideration and it was found that there was not sufficient grounds to cancel the penalty charge.

"Each case is considered on its own merits and on this occasion a discretionary re-offer of the £70 charge per PCN was made rather than the increased rate which had been due at this stage."