A controversial bus lane running through Reading has been blasted with drivers and neighbours calling for its removal.
The A329 London Road bus lane between Liverpool Road and Cemetery Junction was established to speed up journeys towards the town centre.
However, the bus lane has proved unpopular as it had taken away road space previously open to all traffic.
Now neighbours have called for it to be removed on Facebook as the A329 has been identified as the second most congested road in Berkshire.
Levi Leppard said: "The irony that the buses have to queue up to get to the bus lane shows what a dip**** decision that bus lane was, adds 10 minutes to my commute, 10 mins more pollution I'm pumping out, so much for cleaner air!"
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Makka Alleyne opined: "Ever since the council decided to put that bus lane in against public opposition it's turned into a complete nightmare for motorists the only people who can't see it are the council themselves, maybe they need to go Specsavers."
Reacting to a photo of queues leading up to bus lane, Hillary Kemp, who lives in the area, said: "The photo shows the congestion caused by the ridiculous and unwanted London Rd bus lane.
"It’s like that ALL the time, not just rush hour.
"Come on Reading Borough Council, admit you were wrong, and remove it.
"An apology to local residents who disagreed with it in the so-called ‘consultation’ wouldn’t go amiss too."
Seven buses were spotted in the bus lane between 9.30am to 10am on Friday, March 21.
Another bus that was spotted was out of service.
Long queues were also seen on the approach to the bus lane.
Responding to these complaints, a council spokesperson said: "The introduction of the London Road bus lane was part of the wider government-funded £26m bus service improvement plan (BSIP) in Reading.
"The aim is to encourage greater use of public transport and reduce reliance on the private car.
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"Reading is a thriving, successful town which attracts many visitors from outside the borough. With thousands more homes set to be built on Reading’s boundaries this is expected to increase.
"The council wants to encourage more of these journeys to be made by public transport, otherwise traffic congestion in the borough will continue to grow, causing more air pollution and damaging the health of Reading residents.
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"Since the introduction of the London Road bus lane the council has used BSIP funding to subsidise fares on the Winnersh Park & Ride (P&R) and Mereoak P&R services to just £1 for parking and a return journey."
The spokesperson also cited statistics that journeys at the Winnersh P&R increased from around 6,900 in September 2024 to 11,600 in December 2024.
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The statement continued: "To date, roadside air quality monitoring has not demonstrated any significant change since the introduction of the bus lane and there has been some indications of potential improvements.
"However, these results are inconclusive and further monitoring is required over time to gain meaningful data.
"Monitoring of the effectiveness and impacts of the bus lane are ongoing and the council is continuing to work with Wokingham Borough Council to develop and implement enhancements to the bus lane outside of Reading Borough to improve journey times for buses and make lane arrangements clearer for general traffic."
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