About this bus gate
The bus gate runs all day, every day, on the inbound approach from Exchange Street, and there is no evening or weekend let-off. A camera has been enforcing it since 3 July 2021 — one of the longest-running of Sheffield's enforced sites, and the only city-centre one added between 2016 and 2021.
Buses, taxis, pedal cycles and authorised vehicles may pass through it. Solo motorcycles may not: Sheffield allows them in bus lanes only, never in bus gates, which catches out riders who are used to the lanes further out of town.
Sheffield City Council counts as "authorised vehicles" private hire vehicles carrying council-approved side markings, and similarly marked vehicles carrying people for the NHS or for a council on education or care business. A private hire vehicle without those markings is not exempt, and if your licence came from another authority you have to send the council a copy of it before your vehicle goes on the exemption list.
The £70 penalty halves to £35 if you pay within 21 days.
Transcribed from Sheffield City Council's bus lanes, gates and tram gates map dataset (Bus Gates layer) for the hours and extent, and from the council's response to freedom of information request 3141708 (reference 101001428903), 20 August 2026, for the enforcement start date, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Who can use it
- Buses
- Taxis
- Pedal cycles
- Authorised vehicles
Not permitted
- Cars
- Vans
- Lorries
- Motorcycles
Where exactly is it?
Blonk Street, inbound from Exchange Street, Sheffield. 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 Blonk Street bus gate?
The Blonk Street Bus Gate in Sheffield operates 24 hours a day, every day. There is no time of day when general traffic may use it.
How much is the fine for driving through the Blonk Street bus gate?
Sheffield City 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 Blonk Street bus gate?
Buses, taxis, pedal cycles and authorised vehicles are permitted. Not permitted: cars, vans, lorries and motorcycles.
Can I appeal a PCN from the Blonk Street bus gate?
Yes, and it costs nothing. Make formal representations to Sheffield City Council first — the authority that issued the PCN has to consider them before it can enforce the penalty. If Sheffield City 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 gate 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 approach signage did not give enough warning before the point of no return. It is worth doing: Sheffield City Council accepted 36% of the 14,845 formal challenges it received in 2025/26 (figures from its own FOI response). Note that paying the £35 discounted rate accepts liability and closes the case, so challenge before you pay.