About this bus gate
This bus gate is watched by a camera. The council’s penalty records name the site as “Brooms Road, Stone” and as “Stone Business Park, Stone”, but the traffic order behind it is on Beacon Road, running 80 metres south from the junction with Beacon Rise, which is the stretch that meets Brooms Road — one location, three names.
The order prohibits driving any motor vehicle in either direction along that length at any time, and local buses are one of a short list of exceptions, alongside emergency service vehicles and vehicles working on the road, water, gas, electricity, telephone, sewerage or flood defences.
There is no exemption for taxis or motorcycles. Pedal cycles are not affected, because the prohibition bites on motor vehicles only.
It is drafted as a road closure rather than as a bus lane order, but the effect at the kerbside is a bus gate: everything is stopped except buses. The council began issuing penalties here in April 2022, catching 982 drivers in the first year and 59 in 2024.
Staffordshire County Council’s bus lane pages still state a £60 penalty reduced to £30 within 14 days, but its own penalty records show £70 charged on every notice from 2023 onward, reduced to £35 for early payment; £60/£30 applied up to 2022. The council has confirmed the current charge is £70, halved to £35, but would not say what date the increase took effect, so check the amount printed on the notice itself.
Penalties are processed for Staffordshire by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, so a Staffordshire bus lane PCN is paid and challenged through Stoke’s parking service and the notice number begins “GE”. The order is the Staffordshire County Council (Beacon Road, Walton, Stone) (Prohibition of Driving) Order 2004, made on 9 November 2004 under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and in operation from 15 November 2004, which “prevents you from driving any motor vehicle in either direction along” Beacon Road, Walton, Stone, “from its junction with Beacon Rise in a southerly direction for a distance of 80 metres”, with exceptions that include local buses.
Transcribed from Staffordshire County Council’s response to freedom of information request F0038517, answered on 4 September 2026, which supplied the traffic regulation orders for the county’s camera-enforced sites, and from its earlier response F0037975, 21 August 2026, which lists those sites with the month enforcement began at each.
Who can use it
- Local buses
- Pedal cycles
- Emergency vehicles
- Utility and road maintenance vehicles
Not permitted
- Cars
- Vans
- Lorries
- Taxis
- Motorcycles
Where exactly is it?
Beacon Road, Walton, Stone — from the Beacon Rise junction south for 80 metres, by Brooms Road and Stone Business Park. View on Google Maps →
Got a PCN from this camera?
Don't panic, and don't ignore it. Pay £35 within 14 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 Beacon Road bus gate?
The Beacon Road Bus Gate, Stone (Brooms Road) in Staffordshire operates all day (24 hours). There is no time of day when general traffic may use it.
How much is the fine for driving through the Beacon Road bus gate?
Staffordshire County Council issues a Penalty Charge Notice of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days. There are no penalty points — it is a civil penalty.
Who is allowed to use the Beacon Road bus gate?
Local buses, pedal cycles, emergency vehicles and utility and road maintenance vehicles are permitted. Not permitted: cars, vans, lorries, taxis and motorcycles.
Can I appeal a PCN from the Beacon Road bus gate?
Yes, and it costs nothing. Make formal representations to Staffordshire County Council first — the authority that issued the PCN has to consider them before it can enforce the penalty. If Staffordshire County 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. Note that paying the £35 discounted rate accepts liability and closes the case, so challenge before you pay.