Changes on guided busway in Cambridge after 12-year-old girl knocked off her bike
Changes to the guided busway on King's Hedges Road in Cambridge will be made in the coming weeks after a 12-year-old girl came off her bike following a collision with a Stagecoach bus.
Cambridgeshire County Council said it is assessing all crossing points on the busway after the incident, from which the girl escaped with minor injuries.
She was cycling home from Impington Village College when the accident happened on May 1 on the crossing between King's Hedges Road and the busway, prompting her father to call for safety measures.
Enhancements, including extra signage and a guard rail, will be installed on the busway at King's Hedges Road in the coming weeks. A temporary barrier was being installed today (Wednesday, May 29) before the permanent work is completed.
The council said the aim was to increase awareness at the crossing point, reminding cyclists and pedestrians to stop and look for buses before crossing the busway.
Cllr Mathew Shuter, chair of the highways and infrastructure committee, said: “Following the recent incident on the guided busway, officers are assessing all the crossing points along the busway to ensure we’re doing all we can to increase awareness and promote safety.”
The authority said regular inspections and assessments are carried out on the busway, in line with other roads, footpaths and cycleways.
It noted that since the busway opened in 2011, the surrounding area along the route has changed, with the numbers of people and cyclists increasing as businesses grow along the route.
Meanwhile, assessment is also ongoing following the incident on May 20, in which a car and guided bus collided at the crossroads near Longstanton and Willingham.
The driver of the car was left with serious, but not life-threatening injuries following the crash, which remains under investigation. The bus passengers and driver were able to get off the bus safely.
Flames started in the car following the collision, and spread to the bus.
Emergency services were called at 9.29am and closed the busway until nearly 4pm.
Three crews from Cambridge, one crew from Cottenham and one crew from St Ives attended.
The fire was the latest incident on the guided busway in Cambridgeshire.
In September 2018, Steve Moir, 50, of Plantation Road, Sawston, died after falling while cycling alongside the busway in Trumpington.
In July 2017, Whippet fired a driver whose bus veered off the guided busway in Trumpington.
In November 2015, an 81-year-old woman pedestrian died after a collision with a bus on the busway near Station Road, Swavesey. Jennifer Taylor, of Meadow Lane, Over, had been walking in the dark with her husband, who was not injured.
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Fire after bus and car crash on guided busway between Longstanton and Willingham