About this bus lane
London Street carries two separate restrictions, made under two different orders, and they do not permit the same vehicles. The southern stretch, between London Road and Queens Road, is a contraflow bus lane letting buses, cycles and hackney carriages travel south to north against the one-way flow.
The northern stretch, from Duke Street to Mill Lane (North), is a prohibition of all vehicles except buses, cycles and wheelchair accessible taxis — so an ordinary hackney carriage is exempt on the southern stretch but not on the northern one. Both apply at any time; neither order sets days or hours.
The list above is the narrower of the two, because it is the one that holds along the whole street. A wheelchair accessible taxi means a licensed hackney carriage built or adapted to load a passenger in a wheelchair from the side; private hire vehicles and minicabs are not exempt on either stretch, and neither are motorcycles.
Reading Borough Council reports its penalty figures for a single camera it calls simply "London Street", without saying which stretch it watches, so treat both as enforced.
Transcribed from the Borough of Reading (Bus Lanes) (Traffic Regulation) Consolidation Order 2009, Schedule 1 "Bus, Cycle and Hackney Carriage Lane" (RG180B) for the southern contraflow, and from the Borough of Reading (Town Centre) (Bus and Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Lanes) (Special Access Permits) Order 2012, sealed 4 October 2012, Schedule 2 "Prohibition of vehicles except bus, cycle and wheelchair accessible taxi", item 8 (RG173B) for the northern section, both published on the Traffic Penalty Tribunal traffic regulation order register.
Who can use it
- Buses
- Pedal cycles
- Wheelchair-accessible Hackney Carriages
Not permitted
- Cars
- Vans
- Lorries
- Motorcycles
- Private hire vehicles
- Non-wheelchair-accessible taxis
Where exactly is it?
London Street — the southern contraflow between London Road and Queens Road, and the northern section between Duke Street and Mill Lane (North), Reading. View on Google Maps →
Got a PCN from this camera?
Don't panic, and don't ignore it. Pay £35 within 21 days to halve the charge — or if the signage was unclear, the details are wrong, or you had a genuine reason to be in the lane, consider challenging it first. Our step-by-step appeal guide covers the grounds that actually win.
Frequently asked questions
What are the operating times of the London Street bus lane?
The London Street Bus Lane in Reading operates at any time. There is no time of day when general traffic may use it.
How much is the fine for driving through the London Street bus lane?
Reading Borough Council issues a Penalty Charge Notice of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. There are no penalty points — it is a civil penalty.
Who is allowed to use the London Street bus lane?
Buses, pedal cycles and wheelchair-accessible hackney carriages are permitted. Not permitted: cars, vans, lorries, motorcycles, private hire vehicles and non-wheelchair-accessible taxis.
Can I appeal a PCN from the London Street bus lane?
Yes, and it costs nothing. Make formal representations to Reading Borough Council first — the authority that issued the PCN has to consider them before it can enforce the penalty. If Reading Borough Council rejects them it must issue a Notice of Rejection, and you can then appeal free to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Its adjudicators are lawyers independent of the enforcing authority, and their decision is binding on both sides. This bus lane operates 24 hours, so "I was outside the operating times" is not open to you — the grounds that win here are that your vehicle was exempt, that the details on the PCN are wrong, or that the signage did not make the restriction clear. It is worth doing: Reading Borough Council accepted 22% of the 8,297 formal challenges it received in 2023/24, and of the 127 that went on to the tribunal, 10 succeeded (figures from its own FOI response). Note that paying the £35 discounted rate accepts liability and closes the case, so challenge before you pay.