Council faces £1.6m legal costs after Cambridge busway deaths

Steve Moir, Kathleen Pitts and Jennifer Taylor were all killed after busway incidents

A council is expecting to see legal costs of £1.6 million as it faces prosecution over the deaths of three people on a guided busway.

Three people died in separate busway incidents in Cambridgeshire between 2015 and 2021, with a fourth suffering life-changing injuries.

In 2023 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced it would prosecute the county council after an investigation.

At the time, the authority said safety on the busway "remains a priority".

The regulator said it would be bringing a prosecution against the county council after the deaths - and following a collision involving a fourth person who suffered life-changing injuries.

Jennifer Taylor, 81, died after she was hit by a bus when she crossed the busway on foot at Fen Drayton in November 2015.

The county council is facing a HSE prosecution over failings that led to three deaths on the guided busway

Steve Moir, 50, a cyclist, died after a collision on the busway on a stretch between Cambridge railway station and Long Road in September 2018.

Kathleen Pitts, 52, was on foot and died after being hit by a bus on the same stretch in October 2021.

The fourth person, a teenage cyclist, was seriously injured in the guided section of the busway, parallel to King's Hedges Road, in November 2021.

A new report published by the council said the authority was waiting for more information from the HSE on the nature of the prosecution.

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To date, the authority has incurred costs of £617,000 for legal advice related to the expected prosecution.

It is estimated that an additional £1million could be spent on legal costs in the event of a trial.

On 5 March, councillors will be asked to delegate authority to officers to award contracts for the provision of continued legal advice.

At the end of last year, the council said it would be putting £920,000 towards building a new safety fence between the pathway and the guided bus lane on a southern section of the busway.