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Normally an article every few weeks where someone has gone through one here. Happens all the time.
Maybe
Think it's only buses, emergency vehicles, cyclists and taxi's that can use them? Not 100% sure but likely one of those?
Bus Gates
- Thread starter Sirrel Squirrel
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Normally an article every few weeks where someone has gone through one here. Happens all the time.
Think it's only buses, emergency vehicles, cyclists and taxi's that can use them? Not 100% sure but likely one of those?
Soldato
Normally an article every few weeks where someone has gone through one here. Happens all the time.
Think it's only buses, emergency vehicles, cyclists and taxi's that can use them? Not 100% sure but likely one of those?
Also "authorised vehicles" (basically council vehicles). In Sheffield there are 8-9 bus gates in the city centre but only 2 have cameras so the ones that don't get regularly abused.
It is hilarious - at least the ones around here for once they are properly signed, almost always a place to turn around either end of it yet still some people go through and then kick off when they get fined... there are huge signs with a camera and fine warning even...
There are things I can understand people falling foul of when driving in unfamiliar areas and probably might do so myself but that isn't one of them.
Soldato
After googling what a bus gate is it turns out it's just a road marking on the road. I had visions of an actual gate or some sort of cattle grid that buses go over but cars have difficulty. Heh
Soldato
You mean like THIS ARTICLE. However the complainant fails to mention that you can see the sign perfectly well from a driving position (and not from the pavement where he's taken the photo), nor has he mentioned the 2 previous signs or the fact that the bus lane is painted green and has "BUS LANE" written on it every so many yards.
We used to have some of those dynamic bollards on some gates. Buses had a RFID type device and the bollard would retract as the bus approached and then rise again almost immediately after however the council decided that the cost of maintainence and frequent repairs (due to vehicle impacts) was unsustainable so either permanantly retracted them or took them out.
Example video (YT)
Bill Gates?
My town has a bus gate (cost £800k to build) but it has been lowered indefinitely since several years ago after an ambulance was blocked from getting through (in theory they have a transponder device to allow access). Absolute waste of money, especially as buses only run every 2hrs or so. Makes no sense to me building a road and then blocking traffic from using it. Also increases carbon emissions as when closed it forces you to take a much longer route to some locations.
Soldato
Never heard of Bus Gates before, had to google what it was, had visions of gates, barriers, bollards etc... 
Bit disappointed in what I found.
Bit disappointed in what I found.
Ours is retractable bollards. When it was still active there were a couple of amusing tailgating incidents where cards had a collision trying to drive through and the bollard started raising (there was a public CCTV link where you could check if the bollards were temporarily open or not).
When walking through I once even had a woman in a car ask me how she could get the bollards to lower, didn't get the concept at all heh
When walking through I once even had a woman in a car ask me how she could get the bollards to lower, didn't get the concept at all heh
I've recently had a ticket for driving down a bus lane, and frankly all bus routes should have a bus gate to prevent cars from driving down them. (Note i say bus routes rather than bus lanes - the difference being in city centres they normally have bus routes that cars can't go down, whereas bus lanes are normally adjacent to a normal car lane.) If you're not familiar with the roads then bus lane signs can be very easily missed.
Soldato
The "bus gates" I saw when I googled just had "BUS GATE" painted on the tarmac instead of "BUS LANE"?
Ahhh, they're no better off than a sign then. I'd assumed "Bus gate" was a term for a physical restriction - i've seen some that have a bollard that lowers to let a bus through and physically stops other non-authorised vehicles from passing.
Soldato
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Motorcycles too, usually.Think it's only buses, emergency vehicles, cyclists and taxi's that can use them? Not 100% sure but likely one of those?
It throws me a lot, as I always forget and have to suddenly re-figure my route when I'm in the car.
Soldato
Nope, you just have to pay attention to what lane you're in. Good luck.
Yep literally just a bit of tarmac with bus gate or bus lane painted on it and some signs in front.
Saw this and thought of this thread https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/drivers-fined-after-diversion-route-5732540
I'm up there a bit and the traffic disruption, roadworks, etc. is an absolute nightmare but the bus gates are impossible to miss - anyone who managed to miss that it was a bus gate and you'd be fined for using it, even new to the area, probably shouldn't have a driving license...
I'm up there a bit and the traffic disruption, roadworks, etc. is an absolute nightmare but the bus gates are impossible to miss - anyone who managed to miss that it was a bus gate and you'd be fined for using it, even new to the area, probably shouldn't have a driving license...
Soldato
I'm a delivery driver & I deliver to Colchester 2 days a week, have done for 20 years.
There's 5 bus restrictions in Central Colchester IIRC.
1. Turn right at the top of the High St. into Queen St. The High street now has restrictions for certain vehicles now so I don't think it was there.
2. Part of Middleborough & going up North hill to turn left onto the high st.
3. The rail crossing at Hythe Quay.
4. Most likely place is at the bottom of Hythe hill. its about 2-300 yards in length but the bus gate is clearly marked & there is an enforcement Camera there.
Google maps doesnt show the camera sign there from 3 years ago but I can check back in a couple of days as I have a delivery round the corner.
5. North Station road. Thanks to @Mason- for reminding me.
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There's a bus lane that I can remember not being one as a boy. Near North Station, the roundabout with Wickes on it, used to be able to drive through the road that had the Norfolk pub on it. I can remember being a small kid and my mum going down that and getting a £20 fine from a policeman.
I don't live in Colchester anymore but go regularly because my family still live there. I've never seen this bus gate though, what Co Op was the OP near? The Stanway one?
Soldato
Driving through Leeds the other week and there was these weird lanes for cars with 2+ passengers in. No idea how they police them to make sure there are 2+ passengers in the car. Must have super duper cameras!