Drivers who are ignoring the rules that prohibit them from using a bus-only zone are not being caught by enforcement cameras due to power issues, according to a city council. Bus gates are short sections of road designated for use by buses and other authorized vehicles. A stretch of Station Road outside Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station has been operating as a bus gate since August 2025.
Motorists who violate these rules face a £70 fine. However, Paul Brown, who works at a nearby bar, stated that many drivers are disregarding the restrictions, possibly for months. “Everyone is just going through willy-nilly like it’s nothing,” he said. The city council confirmed that the enforcement cameras will be operational again soon.
The bus gate was part of a £12.5 million initiative aimed at improving the area around the station. This includes making the space more pedestrian-friendly by reducing traffic and promoting public transport usage.
After the road changes, Brown, who is associated with the Bod bar on Station Road, mentioned that they provided the council with the registration numbers of all vehicles that delivered to the bar so they would not be fined for entering the bus gate. “But it seems like we went through all that effort for nothing,” he said. “Cars come through like it’s no mither… it’s just like a normal backstreet road, no rules, nothing implemented.”
He criticized the spending on new signs and a camera when the system was not functioning, calling it pointless. “It’s just like a normal road,” he added. Bus gate fines are £70 for the penalty charge notice, which can be reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
A city council spokesperson explained that the bus gate acts as a virtual barrier regulated by a traffic order, allowing only authorized vehicles to pass. There are repeated, regulated signs and opportunities for motorists to take alternate routes before reaching the bus gate, they noted. Enforcement is carried out by both the local authority and the police.
However, the council admitted there have been some “complicated power faults affecting the cameras and nearby electrical street assets.” They stated, “We have been working with our contractors, the railway station and power providers. Enforcement cameras will be in force again soon, so motorists contravening this traffic order should expect it will lead to a penalty charge notice.”
