Guided busway fence work starting this week

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

Safety fencing is to be installed along a 16-mile (26km) guided busway in Cambridge from Sunday, a local authority said.

The safety improvements followed a £6m fine issued to the operators, Cambridgeshire County Council, after three fatalities on the public transport busway network in and around Cambridge.

The first phase will be on the southern section between Trumpington and the Biomedical Campus, starting at Long Road Bridge.

The authority reminded people not to trespass on the route and keep to formal crossing points as the first phase of fencing work took place.

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

This first 300-metre phase of the fencing involves contractors digging foundations and installing posts, panels, and emergency gates.

One lane of the busway will be closed along with the path which runs alongside the busway.

Southbound buses will continue to run normally from the main Cambridge railway station to the campus, but the northbound lane will be closed.

A council spokesperson said: "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."

Fencing works are being completed in sections with design work for the northern section in progress, including options to help with flooding.

The council said recently introduce speed restrictions would remain in place until the fencing work was completed - which it estimated would be by the end of 2026.