Jack Baldus has a council exemption so he can reach a city centre pub
Professional musician Jack Baldus(Image: Jack Baldus)
A pianist who was given an exemption to drive his music gear into Bristol city centre through a bus gate every Sunday said he was shocked and intimidated when the council sent bailiffs to his house twice to clamp his car, saying he owed £425 in fines – for driving through a bus gate.
In the end, Jack Baldus paid the money but told the Bristol City Council and the bailiffs he was going to appeal, and report what had happened to the Bristol Post – and within days he got his money back and an apology from the city council.
Mr Baldus, a piano teacher and musician, who is a member of the popular Bristol band Soul Strutters, is the live music promoter at The Raven pub in Clare Street, in the recently pedestrianised part of Bristol’s ‘Old City’ area, and has a weekly Sunday evening residency at the venue.
To get all his kit there from his home in South Bristol, he has to negotiate the bus gates and one-way systems around Baldwin Street, Bristol Bridge and around the St Nicks Market area, so for the last couple of years, the city council issued him with an exemption which only applies on Sundays for the bus gates in that area.
But one Sunday in March 2024, Mr Baldus said both Bristol Bridge and the Redcliffe Bascule Bridge were closed for roadworks, leaving him struggling to work out how to get to work.
In the end he said he had to drive down Cumberland Road and the wrong way over Prince Street Bridge to get to Clare Street via Baldwin Street.
A few weeks later, he received a penalty notice fine in the post, as he’d become one of tens of thousands of drivers to trigger the bus gate camera on Cumberland Road which, at the time, was the most lucrative for any local council in the country.
He challenged the fine, pointing out that he had an exemption for that Sunday, providing proof that this was his only way into the city centre, and that he had a gig that evening in a location he would struggle to reach.
The Cumberland Road bus gate has resulted in £2.5 million of fines for drivers of 15 months(Image: SWNS)
Mr Baldus said he heard nothing more about it for months until a bailiff from the council-appointed debt collection firm Marston’s arrived at his home in October last year, saying he needed to come in to collect £425, otherwise he would be clamping Mr Baldus’ car.
“I showed him the exemption I had from the council, and explained what had happened, and the guy was very apologetic and went away again,” said Mr Baldus.
“I later had emails from the council and Marston’s that a hold had been on the debt and the fine, and I wouldn’t hear about it again.”
Then, while on the phone to the council for a completely separate issue, the council officer happened to mention that he still had an outstanding debt of £425, and Mr Baldus realised that the debt had not been wiped.
And sure enough, in late June this year, Mr Baldus had a phone call saying a bailiff from Marston’s was again outside his house, threatening to break the door down to gain entry to find £425 worth of property, or clamp his car, to meet the debt.
READ MORE: Bus gate warning signs should be improved again due to ‘unusually large’ number of finesREAD MORE: Council claims ‘significant drop’ in controversial bus gate fines
“In the end I paid it. They called to say ‘we will break your door down’,” said Mr Baldus. “I didn’t want any scene at my house, I’ve got children, my wife was getting upset about this – no one wants the bailiff bashing down your door when you’re not at home.
“So I paid it, and told them that I would appeal, demand it back and kick off at the council. They’ve used intimidation tactics and it’s worked,” he added.
Mr Baldus immediately challenged the council and the bailiffs, which included telling them he would be contacting the Bristol Post.
Within a couple of days, he had the money back – and an apology, although the council still maintain he was in the wrong for driving through the Cumberland Road bus gate in the first place.
Professional musician Jack Baldus(Image: Jack Baldus)
In a letter from Bristol City Council, the council said it would repay the money but Mr Baldus was still in the wrong.
“As previously advised, the exemptions in place are for the bus lanes in Broad Quay, High Street and Baldwin Street junction with Marsh Street. The exemption covers travel on a Sunday for the bus lanes mentioned, it does not cover Cumberland Road bus gate,” the council said.
“Upon further review, we can confirm that due to an administrative error specifically, the removal of the hold from Marston’s while the PCN was still under review with the Traffic Enforcement Centre we have authorised the cancellation of this charge. We can confirm that you will not be contacted again in relation to this notice,” it added.
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