Guided busway safety fence gets go-ahead

A council that was fined £6m after three deaths on its guided busway has approved plans to install permanent fencing and barriers.

Jennifer Taylor, Steve Moir and Kathleen Pitts died between 2015 and 2021 after collisions on the Busway route that runs from Huntingdon to Cambridge.

Cambridgeshire County Council has said it accepts the "historical failures" relating to the Busway.

The authority hopes to begin installation work this year on the route, which stretches 16 miles (26km).

The council confirmed it would initially prioritise the sections used by the most people.

Adding the fences along the length of the Busway, which is the longest of its kind in the world, will cost an estimated £4.7m.

The decision was unanimously approved by councillors on the highways and transport committee on Tuesday, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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.

Frank Jordan, executive director for place and sustainability at the county council, told the meeting it "continues to express condolences to the families impacted and has apologised unreservedly for its failings".

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.

Alex Beckett, Liberal Democrat chairman of the committee, said the authority needed to do whatever it could to prevent further deaths on the busway.

Further measures are also planned to deal with flooding issues, which the council said had created an additional safety risk.

The meeting heard this would cost about £7m, including a contingency budget, and could include pontooned walkways.

John Morris, the leader of Hunt Walking and Cycling Group, told the meeting flooding issues had been raised repeatedly, ever since the Busway opened in 2011.

He said he was pleased investment was being proposed to tackle the issue.

A guided busway uses specialised infrastructure to direct buses along pre-determined and dedicated paths.

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