First Modern Signage

1972 signs for bus lanes

One noticeable change in 1971/72 was that GLC traffic orders ceased to mention the transverse broken white line and started referring to the "traffic sign consisting of a single white line". Previously they had referred to the broken and single white lines as authorised under section 54 of RTRA 1967. 

Since 1950, the standard way that traffic signs have been defined has been by Statutory Instrument. The only Statutory instruments issued between 1970 and 1973 relating to traffic signs were:

• The Traffic Signs (Amendment) Regulations 1970

• The Traffic Signs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1970

• The Traffic Signs (Amendment) Regulations 1971

• The 'Zebra' Pedestrian Crossing Regulations 1971

So what was the "traffic sign consisting of a single white line"? 

On 21 January 1972 Commercial Motor newspaper ran an article "New traffic signs for bus lanes". It reported that the Department of the Environment

TSRGD 1975

The first regulations which made traffic signs relating to buses available for general use by local authorities was The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 1975. This consisted of a suite of signs and road markings which (with minor changes made in 1981) was:

Some of these were probably carried over from the previous specially-authorised signage for bus lanes:

• diagram 653: sign at the start of a contraflow bus lane; 

• diagram 654: sign at the start of a nearside with-flow bus lane;

• diagram 656 or 656.1: plates beneath diagram 653 indicating the times when a with-flow bus lane is in operation (contraflow bus lanes were always in force);

• diagram 1049: solid longitudinal line 250mm or 300mm wide at the outside edge of the lane (this was the width of double white lines, which had originally been used to separate contraflow bus lanes from traffic in the opposite direction);

The main signs which were new in TSRGD 1975 were:

• diagram 619.3 or 619.4: "Except buses" or "Except buses and coaches" plates used with the standard diagram 616 No Entry sign at the start of a contraflow bus lane;

• diagram 812.1: the warning sign placed 30m before the start of the taper of a with-flow bus lane;

• diagram 1010: the taper to the bus lane with a dashed thick white line;

• diagram 1014: deflection arrows placed 15m and 30m before the start of the bus lane;

• diagram 1048: BUS LANE road marking, placed at its start, after each junction with a side road and at intervals;

• diagram 1050: the markings for a left turn at the end of a bus lane;

• diagram 812: a sign used to advise of a bus lane ahead. This is used in conjunction with diagram 1050: one bus lane has just come to an end so that vehicles can use the lane to turn left at the junction ahead. This sign warns that the bus lane will restart after the junction without a lead-in taper.

Diagrams 1048, 1049 and either 653 or 654 were bundled together so that either all three were used or none. This made the road marking BUS LANE a mandatory part of the regulatory signage. The old BUSES ONLY road marking had been informatory.

One feature of the bundle was that diagram 654 for a nearside with-flow bus lane showed a cycle as well as a bus; diagram 653 for a contraflow bus lane did not. There was no sign for an offside or central with-flow bus lane. Such a sign required (and still requires) special authorisation from the Department. 

It had been recognised that restricting nearside bus lanes to buses forced cyclists out from the kerb, with buses passing them on the inside and other motorists just outside. This was dangerous (if cyclists observed the restriction). The new sign reflected this. Only with special authorisation from the Department could highway authorities exclude cyclists from nearside bus lanes.

Unless contraflow bus lanes were more than 4m wide, there wasn't really space for buses to overtake cyclists without crossing to the other side of the road. The default for contraflows therefore remained bus-only, with local authorities able to add cyclists if they wished.

Written 13th November 2025; last updated 24th February 2026