Closure of Emmanuel Road, Cambridge, today

Emmanuel Road in Cambridge will be closed until 7.30pm today due to road works, meaning that A and B buses will not be able to serve the stop at New Square ( Central Cambridge) and service A won't be able to call at Parkside.

Details here.

There is a link to alternative stops.

Ticket machines vandalised

Cambridgeshire County Council has appealed for help in catching thieves who caused damage to the Busway ticket machines at Histon and Longstanton earlier this month. One consequence is that the County Council has now decided to remove the facility to pay by cash at the machines - cash fares can be paid on the bus instead. Indeed, the necessary work had already been carried out when I travelled along the Busway yesterday.

Guided Busway Lessons Learned Review

Cambridgeshire County Council has published the report of a review it commissioned from Bill Edwards FICE, FCIHT, MCICES, FCIArb, a partner at EC Harris LLP, entitled the "Cambridgeshire Guided Busway Independent Review". It's due to be discussed at next Tuesday's meeting of the Economy and Environment Committee. The title of this blog post is the one assigned to it in the committee agenda (follow this link if you want to read the report).

The review was initiated following the court case involving the County Council and BAM Nuttall, and is principally concerned with the contract, and the procurement process leading up to it, aspects of which were at the heart of the legal action.

I haven't had time to read the report, but  Cambridge News reporter Jon Vale has, and writes about it here. If you value your sanity you might want to skip the comments below the line, though...

Anglia Bus Forum mentions busway deterioration

Link to ATVBF Forum:

http://angliaandthamesvalleybusforum.com/index.php?topic=7012.0

discusses rebar corrosion (I suspect this is corrosion of spots close to surface, not actually a critical problem)

Anyone noticed further wear on busway surface over the summer? - subjectively I would say that aggregate is sticking out proud of the cement surface level to a greater extent. I'm wondering whether the air-entrainment of the concrete (inclusion of small air bubbles) to guard against freeze-thaw damage is making the surface wear faster.

Road works in Cambridge affecting the guided buses.

Details of roadworks affecting the Four Lamps Roundabout, Short Street and Emmanuel Road between Sunday 7th September and Thursday 18th September.can be found at http://thebusway.info/servicedetails.aspx?update=208 . Stagecoach have some information about how this will affect Busway service here and there are links through to maps showing which bus stops are closed and which alternative stops may be available.

Incidentally, the email informing me of these road works arrived into my inbox today at 9.51am, a day after the first lot of road works had started.