Grace period ends for Aberdeen bus gates as £60 fines start going out

Up until today, warning letters were sent out to drivers caught breaking the new rules instead of fines.

By Lauren Taylor

November 8 2023, 11:15 am

Drivers will now be hit with a fine if they drive through the new Aberdeen bus gates. Image: Ben Hendry / DC Thomson.

Fines of £60 will now be dished out for anyone caught driving through the new bus gates in Aberdeen city centre.

Since the new bus priority system and its associated bus gates first appeared, residents and drivers alike have struggled to navigate the labyrinth that is the Granite City.

Three bus gate systems were installed along Bridge Street, Guild Street and Market Street.

An additional bus gate was introduced on Union Street between its junctions with Adelphi and Bridge Street.

The new bus gate on Market Street. Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

The council turned on the cameras enforcing the new bus gates on August 22.

But, up until today, Aberdeen City Council has allowed a “grace period” for drivers who mistakenly entered one of the new bus gates.

This means warning letters were sent out to drivers caught breaking the new rules instead of fines.

However, from today if you accidentally go through one of the many bus gates, you will be slapped with a £60 fine, which can be reduced to £30 if paid quickly.

Some drivers were still confused by the bus gate on Guild Street. Aberdeen. Ben Hendry/DC Thomson.

Bus gates continue causing confusion

Thousands of people have shared their fury online since, slamming the new measures as “another nail in the coffin” for the city centre.

Drivers have bemoaned the new bus gates since — with many believing they are a “cash cow” for the council.

Meanwhile, our stories have attracted hundreds of angry comments from readers since the first bus gate was installed.

On the day the bus gates went live, we counted more than 50 drivers breaking the new rules on Bridge Street in 45 minutes.

John Sutton, from Strichen, says he would be “safer to drive to Dundee” for his shopping after being “trapped” in Aberdeen’s new bus gates. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

One man later told the Press and Journal he was left “shaken” after finding himself trapped in the city’s bus priority route measures.

John Sutton, 84, drove 3.5 miles trying to navigate the restrictions, claiming there was no warning or no “escape route”.

He later received a warning from the council for breaking the new road rules.

The council has put up temporary LED signs warning people about the new bus priority route in the city centre.

And, new warning measures are being installed to make the bus gates “even clearer” for drivers.

Workers applying additional road markings to the bus gate on Union Street. Image: DC Thomson.

After monitoring the situation for the first couple of months, the council has decided to apply coloured surfacing to sections of the bus gates, as well as yellow signs visible to approaching vehicles.

There will also be three additional advance direction signs put in place.