A shop worker who racked up £650 worth of fines for using Bath's controversial bus gate said the council should "do everyone a favour" and return Dorchester Street to how it was.
AsifHussain, 31, had no idea he was doing anything wrong until he was clocked on camera driving down the bus lane a staggering ten times during his daily commutes.
He not only received £30 penalty charge notices from Bath and North East Somerset Council, but also £35 administration fees from rent-a-car company Enterprise. That amounted to a fine of at least £65 for each of the ten times he was caught.
All fines have now been waived and the camera switched off in a U-turn decision by the council which gave Asif"the biggest sense of relief."
Senior politicians acknowledged that they needed to take drastic action in the face of a barrage of criticism, but they are yet to decide whether they will revive the bus lane again in the future.
Asif is now calling on the council to scrap any plans to reintroduce the bus lane as he doesn't think it is needed.
He said: "I was very unfortunate. I was caught on camera a total of ten times and was being charged by the council and by the hire car company.
"I was getting two or three letters a day demanding money. I was shocked as more and more fines kept coming my way. To say I was angry is an understatement.
"I drive that way every day and I never once saw the warning signs or the camera so how were people who occasionally use that route meant to know any different?"
Asif was going to appeal against his ten fines from March so he is thankful that he no longer has to pay the council or Enterprise.
The people of Bath are now being asked what they want to see happen at Dorchester Street and Asif is adamant that the bus gate should not become a permanent feature.
He said: "It just hasn't been done in the right way so it looks like it was one big scam to get cash.
"The council shouldn't do anything with the road, they should do everyone a favour and keep it how it was, there was nothing wrong with it before.
"Yes it does sometimes get busy with buses pulling in and out and pedestrians crossing over the road, but it's not that bad.
"It's more about talking to pedestrians about road safety than anything else."
The scheme raked in £270,000 for the council in its first month of operation - with a motorist fined every minute at one stage. Many motorists were caught several times because the council's initial pre-fine warning letters took two weeks to reach them, leaving them to carry on using the lane.
Asif uses Dorchester Street every morning to drive from Bristol to his job at iRepair Centre on Westgate Street.
Ironically, he was driving a rented car for two weeks as his own car had been damaged when he drove over a large pothole outside Manvers Street police station. The suspension and back brake pads had to be repaired.
Asif said: "To be caught once must have been bad enough for other people, so for me to be caught ten times in a car that wasn't even mine is very unlucky.
"I'm now ultra cautious about looking out for bus lane signs. That's what I have learned from this mess."
Bath-based public engagement organisation myEnvolve has put together a survey to give to B&NES Council to find out what residents think should happen to the Dorchester Street bus gate.
To have your say, go to www.myenvolve.com/project/dorchesterstbusgate14
AsifHussain, 31, had no idea he was doing anything wrong until he was clocked on camera driving down the bus lane a staggering ten times during his daily commutes.
He not only received £30 penalty charge notices from Bath and North East Somerset Council, but also £35 administration fees from rent-a-car company Enterprise. That amounted to a fine of at least £65 for each of the ten times he was caught.
All fines have now been waived and the camera switched off in a U-turn decision by the council which gave Asif"the biggest sense of relief."
Senior politicians acknowledged that they needed to take drastic action in the face of a barrage of criticism, but they are yet to decide whether they will revive the bus lane again in the future.
Asif is now calling on the council to scrap any plans to reintroduce the bus lane as he doesn't think it is needed.
He said: "I was very unfortunate. I was caught on camera a total of ten times and was being charged by the council and by the hire car company.
"I was getting two or three letters a day demanding money. I was shocked as more and more fines kept coming my way. To say I was angry is an understatement.
"I drive that way every day and I never once saw the warning signs or the camera so how were people who occasionally use that route meant to know any different?"
Asif was going to appeal against his ten fines from March so he is thankful that he no longer has to pay the council or Enterprise.
The people of Bath are now being asked what they want to see happen at Dorchester Street and Asif is adamant that the bus gate should not become a permanent feature.
He said: "It just hasn't been done in the right way so it looks like it was one big scam to get cash.
"The council shouldn't do anything with the road, they should do everyone a favour and keep it how it was, there was nothing wrong with it before.
"Yes it does sometimes get busy with buses pulling in and out and pedestrians crossing over the road, but it's not that bad.
"It's more about talking to pedestrians about road safety than anything else."
The scheme raked in £270,000 for the council in its first month of operation - with a motorist fined every minute at one stage. Many motorists were caught several times because the council's initial pre-fine warning letters took two weeks to reach them, leaving them to carry on using the lane.
Asif uses Dorchester Street every morning to drive from Bristol to his job at iRepair Centre on Westgate Street.
Ironically, he was driving a rented car for two weeks as his own car had been damaged when he drove over a large pothole outside Manvers Street police station. The suspension and back brake pads had to be repaired.
Asif said: "To be caught once must have been bad enough for other people, so for me to be caught ten times in a car that wasn't even mine is very unlucky.
"I'm now ultra cautious about looking out for bus lane signs. That's what I have learned from this mess."
Bath-based public engagement organisation myEnvolve has put together a survey to give to B&NES Council to find out what residents think should happen to the Dorchester Street bus gate.
To have your say, go to www.myenvolve.com/project/dorchesterstbusgate14