Birmingham City Council financial challenges - time to Reset

To find out more about the budget and section 114 notice, visit our budget information page

Bus lanes and bus only streets

Bus lanes keep our city moving, giving priority to buses so they can avoid congestion. This improves bus service reliability and reduces journey times. We are committed to improving public transport in Birmingham, reducing the number of cars on our roads and making the city’s air cleaner.

Bus lanes are easy to identify. The words ‘bus lane’ are painted on the ground and their boundaries are clearly marked with a solid white line. Signs ahead of a bus lane show the types of vehicle allowed in the lane and the times when it is in operation. If no times are given, the bus lane is operational 24 hours a day.

Along the bus lane there may be sections of broken white lines. These signify an area where it is permitted for vehicles to cross the bus lane, for example, if you need to turn left.

A bus only street is just that. It is a street which only buses are permitted to use. Bus only streets are clearly marked at the entrance to the street; signs show permitted vehicles and times of operation, if applicable.

Birmingham also has a number of bus gates. A bus gate gives buses priority at a junction with traffic signals by holding other vehicles at a red light and allowing the bus to get ahead of queued traffic.

Image of bus lane

Bus lane

Image of bus only road signage

Bus only road

Signage showing bus gate

Bus gate

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