The 'magic roundabout' that has generated £1m in fines

THERE'S a roundabout in Carmarthenshire which has been getting quite a lot of attention over the past year or so.

- ROB HARRIES

It’s a fairly unremarkable roundabout on the face of it and is flanked by exits, signs, and junctions all leading off in various directions either further into or further away from Llanelli.

The roundabout in question is known as Trostre Roundabout. It boasts five exits, one of which is designated as a bus lane. Yes, you probably know the one I mean now.

In late 2023, I was slapped with a £70 fine for driving down the aforementioned bus lane - something I hadn't realised I had done until the doom-laden sound of a letter from Carmarthenshire Council landing on my doormat.

With the aid of photographic evidence, the council had well and truly proven that I and my silly little Seat car had indeed driven down a bus lane. What an idiot. And I only turned off to grab a coffee from the McDonald’s restaurant which sits next to the exit in question.

Direction signs leading up to the roundabout feature a small blue circle with an image of a bus and the words ‘Yn unig/only’ alongside it.

The same symbol is displayed at the entrance to the exit and there's faded text on the road surface which says ‘buses only’

I didn’t contest the fine I had been handed. It was my fault. I didn’t do it on purpose but that’s the rules of the road - or in this case the roundabout. But it did get me thinking. Am I that bad a driver/person that nobody else could possibly have made the same mistake?