About this bus lane
Stockton-on-Tees is not enforcing this bus lane with a camera. The council confirmed in August 2026 that bus lane enforcement has not been carried out since the Covid pandemic and that there are currently no camera-enforced bus lanes in operation anywhere in the borough.
That is not permission to drive in it: the traffic order is still in force, Cleveland Police keep the power to enforce it, and the restriction is signed and lined on the road. The restriction applies at all times and the lanes are open to buses and pedal cycles only.
There are three of them: two with-flow lanes, one on each side of Mandale Road, and a contraflow lane on the south side running between the George Street/Westbury Street roundabout and Thornaby Road. The filter lane linking Mandale Road to George Street is closed to all vehicles at all times under the same order, and waiting and loading are banned round the clock along the lengths the lanes occupy.
If the council does resume enforcement, note that its penalty is not the usual England figure: Stockton charges £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, rising to £90 if you neither pay nor appeal within 28 days. The copy of the order supplied by the council runs from Article 5 onwards, so the operative articles that impose the lane restrictions themselves are not in it; the schedules are headed "With Flow Bus and Pedal Cycles Only Lane" and "Contra Flow Bus and Pedal Cycles Only Lane", and the council confirmed the permitted vehicles and the hours in its freedom of information response 1041/2627 dated 25 August 2026, which supplied the order.
Transcribed from The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees Mandale Gyratory, Thornaby, and Bridge Road, Stockton-on-Tees (Traffic Regulation) Order 2010, which came into operation on 12 July 2010: Schedule 1 for the with-flow bus and pedal cycle lanes, Schedule 2 for the contraflow lane, Schedule 3 for the waiting and loading bans and Schedule 6 for the closed filter lane.
Who can use it
- Buses
- Pedal cycles
Not permitted
- Cars
- Vans
- Lorries
- Motorcycles
- Taxis
Where exactly is it?
Mandale Road, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees — a with-flow bus and cycle lane on the north side running about 31 metres east from a point 23 metres east of Yale Crescent, a second on the south side running about 110 metres east from a point 57 metres east of Westbury Street, and a contraflow bus and cycle lane on the south side between the George Street/Westbury Street roundabout and a point about 25 metres east of Thornaby Road. View on Google Maps →
Got a PCN here?
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's own list of camera-enforced sites does not include this one, so a camera PCN from this location would be unexpected — check the notice carefully and make sure it names the road you were actually on. If it does, it is still £60, reduced to £30 within 14 days, and our step-by-step appeal guide covers the grounds that actually win. The restriction itself is not optional: the traffic order is in force and the police keep their own power to act.
Frequently asked questions
What are the operating times of the Mandale Road bus lane?
The Mandale Road Bus Lane in Stockton-on-Tees operates 24 hours, every day. There is no time of day when general traffic may use it.
How much is the fine for driving through the Mandale Road bus lane?
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council issues a Penalty Charge Notice of £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days. There are no penalty points — it is a civil penalty.
Who is allowed to use the Mandale Road bus lane?
Buses and pedal cycles are permitted. Not permitted: cars, vans, lorries, motorcycles and taxis.
Can I appeal a PCN from the Mandale Road bus lane?
Yes, and it costs nothing. Make formal representations to Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council first — the authority that issued the PCN has to consider them before it can enforce the penalty. If Stockton-on-Tees 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. Note that paying the £30 discounted rate accepts liability and closes the case, so challenge before you pay.