Wednesday 26 February 2020

Busway damage delaying reopening

Just heard on Monday's Chris Mann show BBC Radio Cambridgeshire @9:34, Richard Wood,  secretary of the Cambridge area bus users' group said that the busway had been damaged recently by, presumably, the A14 upgrade works. No further information - if anyone knows anything please comment here!

Tuesday 18 February 2020

New timetables - postponed!

Stagecoach had been planning to introduce new Busway timetables on 1 March (following on from last year's consultation, and the acquisition of additional vehicles). Although the intended timetables are now available to view on Traveline, the rather more important piece of news at this stage is their introduction has been postponed to "an as yet unspecified date". This date will presumably be the one when Highways England and Cambridgeshire County Council finally manage to reopen the stretch of Busway between Histon and Orchard Park. Anyone like to hazard a date for this (I feel I should offer a box of chocolates for the most accurate estimate...)?

Flooding - 18 February

It was still flooded between Fen Drayton and Swavesey when I looked yesterday. But the water is now quite shallow, and there were signs that it might be possible to cycle through. I didn’t try it though.

Now the Great Ouse has flooded again, and it’s not possible to cycle or walk from St Ives Park & Ride to Fen Drayton Lakes.


Wednesday 12 February 2020

Flooding continues - 13 February

A picturesque scene. The Cambridgeshire Lake District.
But not so good when you realise that the busway cycle track is still under water between Fen Drayton and Swavesey.

Monday 10 February 2020

Busway diversion extended YET AGAIN!

Some of those who read this blog may be old enough to remember the time before the Busway was closed between Histon and Orchard Park whilst Highways England worked on the A14 overbridge. Others will simply be too new/young to remember that time.

Well, guess what? The closure (and resulting diversion) is set to continue. According to Highways England: "The new anticipated re-opening date is early March." Keep that date in mind, and we can all return to it in, say, 3 weeks time.

Whilst it's Highways England that is responsible for the never-ending closure - and for preventing Stagecoach introducing new timetables (originally planned for 1 March, but presumably delayed until the diversion is removed) - the County Council hardly covers itself in glory either. At the time of writing, the Council's dedicated Busway website still maintains the fiction that the Busway will reopen in "mid-January". Don't passengers deserve better information than that (the relevant page doesn't seem to have been updated since late-October)? What's happening to money that large-scale developers (e.g. of the Eddington site) are required to pay the County Council for Busway operation/promotion/management?

Full details of the further delay, and Highways England's sort-of-apology ("high-level discussions are taking place on a daily basis"...), can be found in a Cambridge Independent news item.

Sunday 2 February 2020

Flooding 2nd February

Still flooded between Fen Drayton Lakes and Swavesey, though water level has dropped slightly since  I last posted.