Fencing work to begin on guided busway route

The council has proposed spending £4.7m on barriers along the length of the busway, which is believed to be the world's longest guided bus route

A council that was fined £6m after three deaths on its guided busway will start to install fencing along the 16-mile (26km) route in October.

Cambridgeshire County Council previously said it was in "full acceptance" of "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.

After risk assessments to improve safety on the busway, the council said the first phase of new fencing would be on the remaining southern section between Trumpington and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

Adding fences between the busway route and the path that runs alongside it would cost an estimated £4.7m.

The southern section between Cambridge Railway Station and Long Road bridge already has a permanent fence.

Work to install fencing on the remaining 3km (two miles) of the southern section is due to start in early October.

The council said one lane of the busway would be closed along with the path, while contractors installed the fence in phases.

Design works for the northern section of fencing and options to help with the flooding were in progress, a county council spokesperson added.

"This section requires detailed ecological and design considerations as well as public engagement and discussions with key stakeholders before these works commence," they said.

"These works are part of the county council's commitment to health and safety on the guided busway.

"Whilst work is taking place, we'd like to remind people they must not trespass on the busway, and they must keep to the maintenance track or formal crossing points for their own safety."