Cambridgeshire County Council pleads guilty to health and safety charge over guided busway deaths

Cambridgeshire County Council will plead guilty to health and safety offences following the deaths of three people and the life-changing injuries sustained by a fourth person on the guided busway, the authority has announced.

Chief executive Dr Stephen Moir said the authority “fell far short” of meeting health and safety standards and for that it was “truly sorry”.

In a statement, published today (Monday, 2 September), Dr Moir said the council was taking an “important and responsible decision”.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced in May last year its intention to start legal proceedings following the deaths, which occurred in three separate incidents.

Dr Moir said: “The county council, first and most importantly, continues to extend its deepest condolences to the families and friends directly affected by these tragic events. They are at the forefront of our thoughts today.

“In providing the guided busway for the people of Cambridgeshire, the county council has a duty and responsibility to uphold the highest standards of health and safety at work. We fully recognise and accept that during the historic operation of the guided busway, when these incidents occurred, that we fell far short of meeting these standards. For that we are truly sorry.

“With that clear understanding and acceptance, we are therefore taking an important and responsible decision, today, to plead guilty to the two offences which the HSE are prosecuting the council for. In doing so, we fully acknowledge the serious historic failings on the part of the county council, which we are now addressing.

“The safety of people accessing the guided busway is of paramount importance to the county council and to the bus operators that use our infrastructure. We have ensured and we will continue to ensure that the lessons learned from these historic failures are addressed properly. We will further ensure that the current and future management of the guided busway is regularly reviewed, updated and that the necessary assurances are in place to enable us to provide this important, accessible and safe public transport system to the people of Cambridgeshire.

“Although we are issuing this statement today due to the ongoing legal proceedings and whilst we await further decisions from the courts, it would not be appropriate for the county council to offer any further comment at this time.”

Jennifer Taylor, 81, died when she was hit by a bus as she crossed the busway on foot at Fen Drayton on November 17, 2015.

Then almost three years later, cyclist Steve Moir, 50, died after colliding with a bus on the section of the busway between Cambridge railway station and Long Road on September 13, 2018.

Kathleen Pitts, 52, who was on foot, died after being hit by a bus on the section of the busway, also between Cambridge railway station and Long Road on October 26, 2021.

The fourth person, a teenage cyclist, was seriously injured when he collided with a bus in the guided section of the busway parallel to King’s Hedges Road less than a month later on November 9, 2021.