For British Motorists: What is a "Bus Gate"?

And is it a national standard marking or something peculiar to the City of Bristol, where I saw the words on some streets recently?

Bus Lane, yes, and there are plenty of them in the city centre; but Bus Gate is new to me!

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supersnipe · 61-69, M

There are other local authorities using 'bus gates'. I found the following explanation:

A bus gate is a short section of street in which only buses and other authorised vehicles can go through. There are warning signs of the bus lane or bus gate restriction ahead, and again, at the point where the restriction starts.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@supersnipe Thank you - but why do they confuse the matter? The familiar term is "Bus Lane", they don't need to invent more!

MartinII · 70-79, M

It’s a point on the road through which a bus is allowed to pass, but no other vehicles. It’s not a gate in any physical sense, just a drawing on the road. Part of the current persecution of people who like, or need, to travel by car.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

If you don't know how are foreign visitors supposed to know?

Or is it aimed a Scandinavian visitors? Then it would just mean Bus Street :-)

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@ninalanyon That might work in some Northern English towns where some of the local language is Scandinavian; and "gate" is indeed used to mean "street"!

supersnipe · 61-69, M

@ArishMell Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate for example. You'll find it in York. It's the shortest street in the place.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

I mentioned it to a friend who lives near Bristol and I think sometimes has to drive into the city.

My beef was that they shouldn't invent non-standard signs. His reply, in exaggerated local dialect:

"Well, it is Brizzle!"

hunkalove · 61-69, M

It's like Watergate but instead of being about water it's about buses. And why Boris can't comb his hair.

SW-User

Sounds like The Lettuce had its minions break into the bus headquarters in a failed plot to get dirt on Larry the Cat?

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