A number of buses have been seen using a controversial bus lane in Reading, along with long traffic queues for drivers.
The London Road bus lane between Liverpool Road and Cemetery Junction was established by Reading Borough Council last August.
The A329 London Road is a major route between the town centre and Earley and Woodley.
The bus lane has been controversial from the start as it involved a lane for all traffic being taken away.
It has therefore been hit with repeated from neighbours complaining about longer car journeys.
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However, the council has argued the change is increasing bus use and speeding up journeys for passengers.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service observed the bus lane in the morning to get an impression of its usage.
Between 9.30am and 10am, seven buses were spotted using the lane.
A further bus travelling along the lane was out of service.
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Many of the buses seen along the route are operated by Reading Buses. These include the Thames Valley Park and Winnersh Triangle park and ride (p&r) services, and the little Orange bus between Woodley and the town centre.
The Carousel 850 bus running from High Wycombe to the town centre was spotted as well.
While the 300 hospital p&r looked empty, the Winnersh p&r was mostly full.
The lane is not just for the buses, as cyclists, motorbike riders, and licensed hackney carriage taxi drivers are allowed to use it.
A single motorbike rider was seen using the lane, with bikers being granted permission for its use on a trial basis.
A branded people carrier van was seen in the lane as well. Rules of the bus lane state any motor vehicle constructed or adapted to carry more than eight passengers is allowed to use it.
Emergency services are also allowed to use the lane, with two South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) ambulances and a SCAS Skoda rapid being spotted.
The observations were made in the morning on Monday, March 21.
A spokesperson for the council argued transport mode shift is required to improve the health of residents and tackle increases in congestion.
They said: "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.
"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."
Calls to restore the lane for the use of all traffic have been repeatedly rebuffed.
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