About this bus lane
This is the one bus lane in Reading that is not in force around the clock. It applies only from 7:30am to 8:45am, Monday to Friday — outside that 75-minute window, and all weekend, any vehicle may use it.
Buses, pedal cycles and licensed hackney carriages may use it during the restricted period; private hire vehicles and motorcycles may not. The council's own signing plan photographs the sign here: a blue roundel showing a bus, a cycle and the word "taxi", with a yellow plate underneath reading "Mon - Fri 7.30 - 8.45 am", and a camera on the same post.
One caution worth knowing: the same Order also creates a very short bus gate — five metres — just east of Ashampstead Road, on the same weekday morning timings, and that one admits buses and pedal cycles only, with no taxi exemption. Southcote Lane has two separate camera-enforced restrictions and they are not alike: this one and the other one.
The stretch by Circuit Lane operates only in the weekday morning peak and lets taxis through; the southbound lane at the Bath Road end operates at all times and does not. The council lists this as the camera-enforced section "Southcote Lane", enforced since 1 September 2006.
That camera name and start date are transcribed from Reading Borough Council's response to FOI request FOI/164207/2026, received 27 July 2026.
Transcribed from The Borough of Reading (Bus Lanes) Traffic Regulation Order 2006, in force 4 September 2006, Schedule 5 "Bus, Cycle and Taxi Lane 7:30am to 8:45am Monday to Friday" for the Circuit Lane to Fawley Road length and Schedule 9 "Prohibition of Vehicles Except Buses and Cycles 7:30am to 8:45am Monday to Friday" for the Ashampstead Road gate, published on the Traffic Penalty Tribunal's traffic regulation order register at https://tro.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk/TRO/Reading/Borough-of-Reading-Bus-Lanes-TRO-2006-4-9-2006.pdf, read with the council's sign layout drawing BLE36/SOUTHCOTE "Southcote Lane", revision B dated 11 May 2012, at https://tro.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk/Core%20Documents/Reading/16-BLE-Map-Southcote-Lane-11.05.2011.pdf.
Who can use it
- Buses
- Pedal cycles
- Hackney carriage taxis
Not permitted
- Cars
- Vans
- Lorries
- Motorcycles
- Private hire vehicles
Where exactly is it?
Southcote Lane between Circuit Lane and Fawley Road, and the short bus gate just east of Ashampstead Road, 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 Southcote Lane bus lane?
The Southcote Lane (Circuit Lane) Bus Lane in Reading operates Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 8:45am. Outside these hours, general traffic may use the road normally.
How much is the fine for driving through the Southcote Lane 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 Southcote Lane bus lane?
Buses, pedal cycles and hackney carriage taxis are permitted. Not permitted: cars, vans, lorries, motorcycles and private hire vehicles.
Can I appeal a PCN from the Southcote Lane 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. The grounds that win here are that your vehicle was not in the bus lane during its operating times (Mon–Fri 7.30–8.45am), that it was an exempt vehicle, 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.