Fewer busway passengers after speed limit lowered

The speed limits were introduced in October

Fewer passengers have been using a guided busway since speed limits were lowered as part of a raft of new safety measures.

The limit on Cambridgeshire's network - where three people have died - was reduced to a blanket 30mph (48km/h) in October while permanent fencing works were carried out.

Meeting documents sent to Cambridgeshire County Council's highways and transport committee stated passenger numbers were "down due to the increased journey time".

While bus companies Stagecoach and Whippet said they were "supportive" of the fencing works, they "expressed concern over the longer-term impact of the current works," the papers added.

The guided busway takes a modified bus along a dedicated track - in some sections previously up to a speed of 56mph (90km/h) - and serves Cambridge, St Ives and Huntingdon.

Jennifer Taylor, Steve Moir and Kathleen Pitts were killed in collisions on the Cambridgeshire Busway between 2015 and 2021.

The county council was fined £6m earlier this year after the deaths, and a judge criticised the authority for its "rigid and blinkered response" to the fatalities.

Kathleen Pitts (left), Steve Moir (centre) and Jennifer Taylor (right) all died in collisions with buses

In meeting documents, the authority said speed monitoring was currently underway, and on-bus equipment also governed speed.

"The increased journey times can have an impact on the attractiveness of busway services and have resulted in operational difficulties for the bus companies," it continued.

David Boden, commercial director of Stagecoach East, said: "We are fully supportive of works to ensure safety, but, in delivering these works, every effort needs to be made to minimise as far as possible the impact on busway customers.

"At our most recent data, we are down 6.8% year-on-year on Busway A customers and 8.6% on Busway B customers. This is a result of the significantly increased journey times caused by the works.

"This increase in journey time, of between 40 and 50 minutes, has seen us introduce three extra buses, and our team put in huge efforts, to try and offer a guaranteed frequency where we can, and also to ensure that Trumpington Park & Ride to the Biomedical Campus has sufficient buses."

He apologised for the impact on customers and said it was working with stakeholders to ensure the works were delivered as quickly as possible.

He also asked other infrastructure providers to think about the scheduling of their work while the fencing was being installed.

The Tiger T1 service run by Whippet, which takes passengers from Huntingdon to Cambridge, "has been able to largely maintain the previous journey frequencies", but passenger numbers were down, council documents said.

"However, both companies are supportive of the fencing works and welcome the safety benefit it will bring."

Whippet has been contacted for further comment.