Bus stop signs on a shopping street in Hampshire have been painted white, causing confusion among drivers.
However, Hampshire County Council has confirmed that the parking spaces on Leamington Street are correctly marked white and there are no current plans to repaint them yellow.
One evening while out for a walk, councillor Jack Davies noticed that Hampshire County Council contractors were repainting the road markings on Leamington Commercial Street.
At first he thought the contractors were repairing potholes, but when he realized they were repainting the white markings on a shopping street, he thought, “At least they’re doing something.”
However, the next morning he received a message from a local bus driver expressing concern about the newly applied markings.
”I got a text message from a bus driver who said, ‘Jack, they painted the bus stop signs white. All the buses are there,’” Congressman Davis said.
In the UK, no-stop zones at bus stops are typically marked with yellow dotted lines, indicating that vehicles are prohibited from stopping or parking in these zones unless a corresponding sign is displayed. White dotted lines do not have such restrictions.
These yellow dotted lines indicate areas of open roadway where parking is prohibited. Parking or the parking of other vehicles is prohibited at all times when appropriate signs are posted.
”This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered contractors applying road markings incorrectly. Remember how they painted double yellow lines on the potholes on the main road?”
Bob Schelling said, “I told my wife the other day that they were going to resurface the main street. She asked how I knew, and I told her they’d just repainted the white lines—which is what usually happens after that.”
”I’m sure the people responsible for roads and shopping streets are very proud of this. Someone really needs to do something about it. It’s a disgrace these days. The money spent on parking meters and markings could have been used to repair the road.”
”This bus stop was installed temporarily when bus depots in Wiltshire and Dorsetshire were relocated in 2015 and if it proves effective there are plans to make it permanent.”
”They’ve installed electronic bus stops since then, but there’s still no yellow markings. It’ll be 11 years this month—really?”
”These markings need to be painted yellow as soon as possible. Because cars and trucks are parked at the station, elderly passengers have to step out onto the road to board buses, and there have already been several minor injuries.”
A Hampshire County Council spokesman said the parking spaces on Leamington Street were correctly marked white in accordance with Highway Code regulations and there were “no plans to repaint them yellow”.
The spokesman added: “This location has been operating this way for at least ten years; it serves as a stop for both intercity and long-distance buses and also includes a bus station, which is why it is marked with white lines.”
”Since this is not an area designated exclusively for buses, installing yellow markings is neither necessary nor advisable.
Post time: Jun-12-2026