Thousands Fined Over Reading's Confusing Bus Gates

Confusion has grown over bus gates after they were blamed for thousands of fines in Reading.

The council says bus lanes and gates speed up journeys for Reading Buses users and get passengers closer to their destinations. Unlike a bus lane, a bus gate is a short section of road closed to standard cars but open to buses, cyclists and authorised vehicles.

Anyone caught driving in a bus lane or gate can be issued a penalty charge notice (PCN), usually via ANPR cameras.

Councillor Anne Thompson (Liberal Democrats, Tilehurst) warned the Green Park Station bus gate had been responsible for more than 6,000 PCNs, which sparked confusion on Facebook about what bus gates actually are.

The council's Annual Parking Services Report doesn't separate lanes and gates, but gates can be spotted from road signs and street view. Examples include Minster Street, Beresford Road, Lindisfarne Way and Hemdean Road in Caversham; the Green Park Station gate is on Flagstaff Road.

At a policy committee meeting in June John Ennis (Labour, Southcote), lead councillor for transport, said 6,113 PCNs have been issued since July 4, 2024, with the majority of these being paid. The parking services report lists 985 PCNs and 3,188 warning notices in 2024/25, and overall 61,835 bus lane PCNs were issued in 2024/25.

The most well-known gate, Minster Street, was responsible for 7,170 PCNs in 2024/25.

A table showing where fines were issued was published alongside the report.

When Councillor Thompson raised the lack of a disabled drop-off point at Green Park, Councillor Ennis replied that the station was designed with accessibility in mind. He said: "There are 12 blue badge parking bays located around 50 metres from the station entrance in the short-stay car park, which also accommodates drop-off and pick-up activity.

"We recognise that wayfinding to these could be clearer and I have asked officers to work with the adjacent landowner to improve signage.

"The transport loop directly outside the station is reserved for buses, rail replacement services and taxis.

"Allowing general drop-off in this area could lead to congestion and impact bus movements, so there are currently no plans to change the existing arrangements."

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter