Tron Legacy

Histon guided busway stop was the venue for the creation of a series of images by Simon Haydn and Laura Aldred . The images, inspired by the 2010 science fiction film Tron:Legacy, are intended to encourage cyclists to use lights. See Cambridge News for full story and a slideshow.

Flooding on the busway

Today (Saturday), as I travelled to work in the relative comfort of a Stagecoach bus, I noticed that the water level on the flooded section of the busway cycle path has now risen a few more inches. It was lapping at the top of the concrete bridge that takes the cycle track over what must be intended as a flood channel. This is situated a few metres east of the Ouse Viaduct.

Nearby is one of those brick 'art installations' that were erected along the busway a few months ago. The 'installation' was almost submerged. So I reckon the water is close to two feet, maybe three feet deep.

This is too deep for cyclist to plough through (as they have been doing the past few days), and so this morning there were several cyclists wheeling their bikes along the grass verge at the top of the busway embankment, dangerously close to the buses which at this point travel at 56mph.

The flat area of grass at the top of the embankment is only about a metre wide, so people are putting themselves into danger. There is very little margin for error between getting hit by a passing bus and sliding down the embankment into the water. The busway cycle track has proved hugely successful as both a leisure route for cyclist, walkers, and runners, and as a travel-to-work route for cyclists. Is it too much to ask that Cambridgeshire County Council raise the level of the track even more so that the cycle path becomes an all weather route?

Safety for cyclists

Warning marks have recently been painted on the busway's cycle track at several places, to help cyclists to avoid hazards such as bollards.

At Histon, there is a footpath which crosses the busway. They've painted white lines to try and direct cyclists away from the busway at the crossing.