Delays due to traffic congestion in Cambridge

Today (Sunday 28 July) the buses from Cambridge to St Ives and Huntingdon were running very late and out of sequence. This appeared to be due to tail-backs of cars in Jesus Lane queuing to get into the Park Street car park.

I caught what I think was the late running 12.40 from Cambridge, which picked us up at Jesus Lane about 13.20. Running only a few minutes behind us was another St Ives-bound bus (probably the 13.00 from Cambridge running late), which overtook us at Longstanton. A Huntingdon-bound bus was running only 7 minutes behind us (and only 3 or 4 minutes behind its schedule).

Ever since the busway opened, the buses have been subject to delays by traffic conditions on the ordinary roads. The conflict of interest between the busway route in Jesus Lane and cars heading for Park Street car park is a recurring problem which needs to be addressed by the Council.

One solution would be to divert the route B away from Jesus Lane - via Victoria Avenue and Chesterton Lane - which was worked well while Bridge Street was closed due to road works.

Guided bus approaching Jesus Lane bus stop behind traffic turning right into Park Street

Bus tunnel plan for Cambridge

Those of us who use the guided busway are painfully aware of the delays cause by traffic conditions on the ordinary roads - mainly in central Cambridge, but also at times in St Ives.

Today, the Cambridge News has published an article about a £190 million scheme to explore  'innovative sub-surface solutions' to Cambridge's traffic problems.  This is a revival of an idea, first proposed in 2008, to build a network of tunnels under the city centre from Castle Hill to Coldham's Common. There would be underground bus stations a below Christ's Pieces and the Grafton Centre and possibly a link to the Railway Station.

It is reckoned that traffic delays cost businesses in Cambridge £1 billion a year.

The tunnel scheme is one possibility for trying to sort out Cambridge's transport problems  and Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge City Council are putting in a bid to the Government for funding.

Click here to read the article.

Letters in Hunts Post about flooding

The Hunts Post ( 30 January, page 6) has two letters about flooding. Although neither mentions the busway directly, both examples of the flooding described affect busway users.

The floods at Earith cause congestion in St Ives as drivers seek alternative routes to Cambridge and other destinations, and there is a knock-on effect on guided buses trying to pass through St Ives. The flooding in Low Road, Fenstanton, affects cyclists who have to divert off the busway due to flooding between St Ives and Swavesey.

Solutions discussed in the letters are: raising the level of the A1123 at Earith, raising the level of Low Road, dredging the Hundred Foot river to increase flow, and ensuring that the drain flaps in Low Road are working correctly.

Traffic congestion in St Ives

The  road at Earith, closed by flood water, seem to be having a knock-on effect on traffic in St Ives, and buses heading for the busway are being severely held up during the morning rush hour.

This image ( by Brendan Boyle) shows two buses in stationary traffic in Ramsey Road, St Ives, this morning ( 28 November). There were three As, two Bs, a C and a 22 in the traffic jam. The bus due to leave Station Road, St Ives at 0737 for Cambridge did not arrive in Cambridge until about 0900 - for the second day running!

And this one shows huge numbers of passengers waiting at Station Road, St Ives, for the buses that were held up in the traffic. Around 0830.

Traffic congestion in Jesus Lane, Cambridge

Yesterday (Sunday) I travelled into Cambridge on the B route. My return journey was on the 1220 departure from Drummer Street. This bus was late arriving at Cambridge, and so was also late departing. It had to make a diversion via Victoria Avenue and Chesterton Lane because Jesus Lane was nose-to-tail with cars, I guess trying to get into the Park Street Car Park. I've experienced delays to buses due to Park Street traffic before, but  his was the worst I've seen. As a result of the diversion, the bus did not call at Jesus Lane/Cloister Court - which I was quite pleased about, but any passengers waiting at Jesus Lane would not be so happy. It's an example of how busway services can be adversely affected by traffic conditions on the normal roads.

Congestion in Station Road, St Ives

This week's Hunts Post (29 August) didn't drop through my letter box until Friday, and although I had looked at the online version earlier in the week, I  missed a short letter from a St Ives resident that was on page 7. It was about the chaos in Station Road, St Ives, on market day ( Monday 20 August) due to a bus picking up passengers at the new bus stop, with cars queued behind it, and a bus coming the other way, from the Cambridge direction. The letter writer thinks that whoever decided on the site of the new bus stop hadn't 'given the idea much thought'.

I wasn't in St Ives the following Monday (26 August) for the Bank Holiday market. Did any readers of this blog  see how the new bus stop performed, whether the bus station was taken over by market stalls, and whether buses had to be diverted?

Harrison Way congestion and bus connections to Huntingdon Railway Station

This week's Hunts Post (8 August) has two items about the busway.

First,  a piece entitled 'Ring road peak flow now smoother' (page 2). Engineers have changed the timings of the traffic lights at the Harrison Way/Busway crossing to reduce the number of times cars have to stop when both pedestrians and buses are at the junction.  It is worth noting that traffic is light at the moment because of the school holidays, and it remains to be seen how the new lights sequence will perform when traffic increases at the start of the school term.

Second, a letter from a Bluntisham resident about connectiosn between the busway and trains at Huntingdon Railway Station. It is a response to Philip Newell's comment last week on behalf of Stagecoach. The letter gives a couple of example of how the service B does not connect with trains.

Proposed bus stop in Station Road, St Ives

Earlier posts have mentioned the proposed new bus stop in Station Road, St Ives, that would allow more busway services to continue to St Ives Bus Station instead of terminating at the Park & Ride. The advantage of this would be to reduce the number of pedestrians crossing Harrison Way and delaying motorists, particularly at peak times. If you know Station Road, you will realise that there really isn't enough space to locate a bus stop there. Outside the auction house might be an option, but several mature trees would have to be felled. Between there and Waitrose there are several side turnings to/from the bus station, the Girl Guide building and the car park. The Hunts Post (11 April, page 14) reports thconcerns that a stop in this position might increase the risk of road accidents. A county council road safety report about the proposed stop suggests moving and redesigning it.

St Ives cross-town buses

Only one letter about the guided busway in last week's Hunts Post (28 March, page7). It concerns the proposal to run buses through Market Hill to the Broadway, this avoiding the traffic congestion in the Cromwell Place/Quadrant gyratory system. The writer reckons that only 5 market stalls would be affected, and that far from the buses causing loss of shops, notes that St Ives shops have already noticed an increase of trade due to the busway. A bus stop in The Broadway might boost the shops at that end of the town. The Meadow Lane roundabout is causing traffic jams back into the town centre - taking bus traffic away from that route can only be a benefit. No doubt the discussion will continue.

Traffic jams at St Ives

Cambridgeshire County Council has now agreed that traffic congestion in Harrison Road, St Ives, at rush hour is a problem, and that guided buses crossing Harrison Way have contributed to that congestion. ( Hunts Post, 21 March, page 4) The Meadow Lane roundabout is mentioned, but the newspaper does not mention the possibility that extra car traffic to/from the Park & Ride may be contributing to the problem. The article refers to tailback up Needingworth Road, rat-running through villages, traffic going through the town centre to get priority at the roundabout. Cllr Criswell said the Council is looking to adjust timings of the pedestrian aspect of the Harrison road lights to synchronise with the buses. Anyone who has ideas for solving the problem is invited to email editor@huntspost.co.uk. On page 5 are several letters commenting on the proposal to route buses through the market square.

Traffic jams continued

This week's Hunts Post has three letters about the delays caused by the conflict between cars and buses at traffic lights where the busway crosses over Harrison Way, St Ives. Fears are expressed that when the Service A buses are extended to run in and out of St Ives, the number of interruptions to traffic will increase. However, the extra buses should mean that fewer pedestrians will be using the crossing crossing, so the number of red lights may actually drop.
Hunts Post (29 February, page7)

Traffic congestion, rat runs and developments at Godmanchester

A letter in this week's Hunts Post (1 February, page 6) draws attention to increasing numbers of motorists illegally using the St Ives Town Bridge as a rat run to avoid congestion on Harrison way caused by the busway traffic lights.

The writer also questions the wisdom of erecting a new bus stop in Station Road, St Ives.

This proposal, mentioned in an early blog post, is about installing a new bus stop outside Hyperion auction house. How exactly this will be achieved, the council has not yet revealed, but it seems to me that it must involve felling a number of trees,  widening the pavement, and narrowing the carriageway. Although Cambridge-bound busway buses will be able to avoid looping back into the bus station, all other buses arriving at the bus station will still have to turn that corner. So, while it might speed up some busway services, it may cause extra delays to other buses, and general motor traffic in Station Road.

A better solution surely would be to create extra bus bays on the north side of the bus station to allow busway service to Cambridge to avoid the loop.

St Ives Bus Station is too small for the number of buses currently using it. Perhaps some services currently terminating at the Bus Station could be extended to terminate at the Park & Ride, where there is plenty of space. They might have to take out the short sections of busway on either side of the Harrison Road light and put in rising bollards.

A second letter on page 6 refers to the Harrison Way lights causing tailbacks through central St Ives which in turn are causing busway services arriving in from Huntingdon and Ramsey Road to be delayed.

Elsewhere in this issue ( Hunts Post, 1 February, page 29) there is an article about the proposed development of 700 new house at Bear's Croft Farm on the outskirts of Godmanchester. It is well known that Godmanchester has a poor bus service, especially in the Cambridge direction. The developers, Fairfield Partnership, have annouced plans to improve the bus service in order to minimise congestion on the A14. They want 4 buses an hour at peak, and 3 at off peak to link Godmanchester with Huntingdon, plus 3 an hour at peak and 2 an hour off peak from Godmanchester to St Ives and the busway via Hemingford Grey. How these two proposed services, with conflicting frequencies, will work, is not clear to me.

A big drawback is that these services will have to traverse a short section of the A14 to get from Godmanchester to Hemingford Grey, and will therefore be subject to the usual delays when the A14 is blocked. Knowing that the Whippet route 1A/5 that currently runs via the A14 is just as quick as the busway services ( most of the time), does beg the question of how a Godmanchester to Cambridge via St Ives and the busway route could be fast and reliable enough to attract the Godmanchester commuter traffic. I know one person who commutes from Godmanchester to Cambridge who find that the best way is to drive to Madingley Park & Ride and bus from there.

Busway news in this weeks Hunts Post

The exchange of views between Tim Phillips of Cast.Iron and Sawtry resident Roger Cox about whether reopening the railway would have been better than constructing the busway continues in this week's Hunts Post ( 25 January, page7).

Another letter from Mary Hodge of St Ives (same page) complains about the busway's poor timekeeping during the morning peak. On 18 January her bus from Ramsey Road at 07.45 did not reach Shire Hall until 08.55. The delay appears to be due to the traffic lights on Harrison Road causing a back-up of traffic through central St Ives. In fact, all car traffic to St Ives Park & Ride has to use the Harrison Road/Meadow Lane roundabout, which must surely have the effect of adding to the problems. A work colleague of mine today mentioned that it had taken longer to get through central St Ives ( by car) than it took to drive from St Ives into Cambridge. That is perhaps a measure of the traffic congestion within St Ives, which the busway cannot alleviate. I worry that if the service A is extended to start from Ramsey Road, its punctuality heading onto Cambridge, which has up to now been good, will be compromised.

On page 10 of the Hunts Post ( 25 January), it is reported that the new bus stop  for guided buses in Station Road, St Ives,  has been approved by Cambridgeshire County Council's Traffic Management Joint Area Committee. It will be outside Hyperion auction house. St Ives Town Council will seek a traffic management order to enable police to fine drivers stopping opposite the new bus stop. the stop will enable the doubling of bus service frequency from St Ives Park & Ride to Ramsey Road. A proposal to introduce extra angled bus bays in the bus station was rejected.

Delays to motorists and completion of the cycle track

Four letters in this week's Hunts Post ( 23 November, page 6) about delays to motorists using Harrison Way, St Ives -  caused by the busway traffic lights.

On page 5 of the same issue is a report saying that the County Council has promised to keep the performance of the Harrison Road lights under review. They were set so that pedestrians had to wait 90 seconds when traffic was heavy compared with 30-50 seconds at 'normal' pedestrian crossings.

Next time I am walking across there I shall check the waiting time.

The same article refers to the final completion of  the busway with the raising of the cycle track to reduce flooding to an average of one month per year.

Peter Quest of the Cyclists' Touring Club says it's the best cycleway he has seen in this country.

Busway delays Olympic runs

This week's Hunts Post reveals that the busway is delaying transport of construction materials from Marshalls in St Ives to the Olympic Games site in London - 30 HGVs of materials per day, and, of course, 30 return trips empty.

Chris Annis of Marshalls claims this is due to the traffic lights where the busway crosses Harrison Way, plus cars parking in Meadow Lane. The lights are also causing delays back  to the Manchester Arms. Bob Menzies of Cambridgeshire County Council does not believe the lights are causing these delays, and says that the Council has no record of Marshalls having complained about this matter.
(Hunts Post, 9 November, page 8)

Of course, if the railway had been retained, then this material could potentially have been transported by rail.

Another accident on the A14

Yesterday it was demonstrated that even the guided bus is not immune to traffic holdups on the A14.

I travelled home on the Service A that was timetabled to leave Trumpington at 16.39. I picked it up at Parkside, where it was running 13 minutes late.  This service normally takes about 8-10 minutes between New Square and the Science Park but traffic was backed up on Milton Road, due to an accident on the A14. Arrival into St Ives was 44 minutes late, a degree of lateness rarely achieved in the 'old days'.

How can time delays for guided buses on Milton road be avoided?

Creating a bus only lane in the out of town direction would help. Unfortunately there isn't much space due to a green verge with trees and a cycle lane. Are there alternative routes guided buses could use to avoid delays on Milton road? For example: Gilbert Road>Carlton Way>Mere Way>Arbury Road>Campkin Road>Kings Hedges Road; or, via Chesterton.

If the Chesterton Railway Station is built, or even if it isn't, what scope might there for providing a bus only road into central Cambridge, through Stourbridge Common, Riverside and Midsummer Common?

Route diversion - Service C

Due to traffic congestion problems, Whippet have decided to reroute Service C  west-bound via Regent Street instead of Parkside. This starts from 19th September according to this poster on the Parkside Bus Stop. However, the online  timetable display at the stop hasn't been updated, and still shows the C as calling there. Sounds like Whippet haven't told the Busway about this change.

Busway in this week's local papers

The Hunts Post (14 September, page 7) has a letter about refunds of money lost in ticket machines, and how difficult it is to understand the complicated range of fares if you are new to the busway. Bob Menzies of Cambridgeshire County Council says he is reviewing the way information is presented on the machines to ease these problems. This information notices, which is posted at busway stops, explains about how the fares system works.

On page 14 of the same issue is an article Busway journey times are extended. It is claimed by the bus operators that although the timetable is now slower than it was before the busway, the actual times for journeys are quicker. Stagecoach says that its punctuality has increased from 78% to 94% as a result of the timetable changes on 2 September. This does not tally with my experience. I have used the busway almost 40 times since it started running, yet  only 27% of my journeys got me to my destination on time.  Most of my trips are in the morning and evening travel-to-work peak times. But I've also travelled midday, evenings and Sundays. And the evening journeys I've used so far have reached the remarkably bad punctuality rate of 0%.

Good news. The Norris Museum in St Ives has doubled its number of visitors as a result of the busway.

The Huntingdon & St Ives News & Crier (15 september, page 6) carries a letter about traffic jams on Harrison Way, the A1096 road between the A14 and St Ives. The writer says the busway is adding 20 minutes to her car commute time. She also notes that the Saturday service now takes longer than the 20 minutes it used to take. Well, yes. The busway is definitely slower at off peak times than the old 55 route.