Guided busway could get safety fence after deaths

A council that was fined £6m after three deaths on its guided busway has proposed installing fencing and barriers along the entire 16-mile (26km) route.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it was in "full acceptance" of "historical failures" relating to its busway, which runs from Huntingdon to Cambridge.

Jennifer Taylor, Steve Moir and Kathleen Pitts died after collisions on the route between 2015 and 2021.

The council said a "new and robust" safety regime had been in place since the authority was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court in April, prompting it to recommend more safety measures as a result.

In a report being presented to councillors on 17 June, the authority estimated it could cost £4.7m to install a fence or barriers along the guided busway, which is the longest of its kind in the world.

A permanent fence on a section of the busway between Cambridge railway station and Long Road Bridge was installed in April 2024, which the council said was proving to be effective.

The authority also said it wanted to tackle flooding on sections of a path that runs alongside the busway between the Holywell crossing and Fen Drayton, to prevent people from using other routes that could be unsafe.

It said solutions such as a pontooned walkway were estimated to cost £5m but that more design work was needed.

The council also recommended not to go ahead with plans to widen the footpath and cycle path along a section of the route between Cambridge railway station and Trumpington Park and Ride.

This was first recommended by the engineering firm Mott MacDonald in June 2022 and a £2.9m budget was approved by councillors the following year.

However, the council pointed to "pinch points" along the route and said the costs would not be possible within the budget, instead recommending additional signs, markings and lighting.

Alex Beckett, the chair of the authority's highways and transport committee, said: "The council accepted full responsibility for the historical failings and officers have been looking at what other measures we could explore to try and reduce any risks further.

"A lot of work has gone into looking at what we can do, which will not only benefit the people who cycle, walk and run alongside the busway, but which will also bring the greatest safety benefit in a way which delivers value for money."

If approved, the works would go ahead a plan to install alongside new signage and markings, as well as a campaign to promote safety along the busway.

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