Survey of busway structural faults

The legal dispute between Cambridgeshire County Council and BAM Nuttall, the contractors who built the busway, appears to be on hold while the two parties jointly fund a survey and investigation of the busway and its construction. Some elements of the survey will take place at night to minimise disruption to busway users.

Read more details at
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridgeshire-guided-busway-dug-investigations/story-27868295-detail/story.html

Things you see from the Guided Busway

A memorial to a journey from Cambridge to Impington over 200 years ago.

From the Guided Busway you can see some things not visible from elsewhere.

In a field to the north of the busway between Histon and the Orchard Park turning there is this memorial.

Photo: David Parish,    March 2015

Have you wondered what it is?

It remembers Elizabeth Woodcock, and her journey from Cambridge to Impington in 1799 which took over 8 days.

Why did her journey take so long?  And why should her memorial be in the middle of a field?

On Saturday Feb 2nd 1799, Elizabeth Woodcock was returning from Cambridge market, to her home at Impington, on horseback, in a snowstorm. She was thrown from her horse, and unable to remount. Being shaken, and numbed with cold, she took shelter under a hawthorn hedge, where she became completely covered with drifting snow. On Sunday morning she heard the church bells, and passers-by in the distance, but was unable to attract attention. On the Monday, she made a hole in the snow above her head, and tied a red handkerchief on a stick, and raised it as a flag. But she was not found until the next Sunday when the Parish Clerk discovered her, and got help to rescue her.

A memorial stone was placed at the location where she was buried under the snow. By 1849 it had become defaced by visitors carving their initials on it, so a replacement was made, and is the one now seen.

The main panel on the north side (away from the busway) is now almost totally obscured by lichen, but I have found an older photo https://www.flickr.com/photos/67722122@N03/6498707819/in/pool-1853634@N23/  which can be deciphered as follows:

IN MEMORY OF ELIZ WOODCOCK LOST ON THIS SPOT IN A SNOW STORM WHEN RETURNING FROM CAMBRIDGE MARKET ON FEB 2nd 1799. 

SHE WAS DISCOVERED 8 DAYS AFTER 7 FEET BENEATH THE SNOW ALIVE & IN POSESSION OF ALL HER SENSES.

AND DIED JULY 24^TH OF THE SAME YEAR AGED 42

There is also a plaque on "Woodcock House" - the thatched cottage where she lived, opposite Histon baptist church, remembering this event. 

Temporary closure of Foster Road guided bus stop

The bus stop at Foster Road, Trumpington, will be closed in both directions on Saturday 19 September because of engineering works.

Full details can be found here

Accident at Longstanton

An accident occurred on Wednesday morning, 16 September.  A van owned by HSS Hire crashed into a guided bus at the Longstanton road crossing. Witnesses report that the van jumped a red light, although no arrests seem to have been made. The bus was a single decker operating a city-bound "A" service.

Reports of the incident were provided by the BBC and the Cambridge News. Only the latter reports injuries.