Quote:
The only reason the Semi colon is there after Private hire vehicle is because the word or is immediately after it, you can't have a semi colon in such an instance.
Besides, It would not ,ake much sensense to read "private hire vehicles or vehicles which have been authorised in writing by Newcastle City Council can use all bus lanes and bus only streets during their hours of operation" that would not make ant sense at all....only "or vehicles which have been authorised in writing by Newcastle City Council can use all bus lanes and bus only streets during their hours of operation" would make sense.
It is my interpretation, so you may very well be right.
Lets look at it another way.
If they had wanted PH to be incorporated into usage of the lane, then they could have put the semicolon immediately after PH as they did the others! All they then had to say was "All
other vehicles need authorisation", this does away with all ambiguity.
There was no punctuation immediately after PH. They were part of a sentence with no punctuation that incorporated everyday vehicles.
I would in many respects read the sentence in this manner (bearing in mind the question -
Who can use the Bus lane).
Only buses; taxis;motorcycles; pedal cyclists; ( I would read the following separately)............. private hire vehicles or vehicles which have been authorised in writing by Newcastle City Council can use all bus lanes and bus only streets during their hours of operation.