A £70 fixed fine penalty levied on a now legendary Newcastle upon Tyne Leyland Atlantean tour bus has been waived by the city council. New to West Yorkshire PTE Roe-bodied bus PUA 300W is used by Tyne Idols to run tours of some of Tyneside’s sites of music, culture and TV-related interest, including venues used in shows such as ‘Get Carter,’ ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet,’ and ‘The Likely Lads.’ But as reported in CBW 1592, much to the shock of owner Paul Irwin, the demand to pay the bus lane fine was issued after the bus was spotted by an ANPR camera accessing the city’s High Level Bridge via its bus lane, a route used many times previously without problems.
The council initially said that the bridge and bus lane were only open to ‘a public service vehicle used for a local service, not an excursion or tour bus.’ However, following a council meeting it was decided to grant the Atlantean permission to use the city’s bus lanes for the next five years. Councillor Marc Donnelly told the meeting that the firm ‘should be encouraged for bringing tourists to the area and showing our rich heritage and history’ and suggested that ‘the City Council should not be redefining the definition of what will be seen by all city residents as a ‘bus’ and tourists must be encouraged to continue to visit and explore the city.’
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