Fatal crash on guided busway: Independent review into southern section in Cambridge planned
An independent expert is to carry out a review of the southern area of the guided busway in Cambridge following the death of a pedestrian.
The woman, from Cambridge, was pronounced dead at the scene following a collision with a bus just after 6pm near Sedley Taylor Road on Tuesday, October 26.
The driver of the bus was uninjured and remained at the scene.
It follows another fatal incident on the southern stretch of busway on September 13, 2018. Cyclist Steve Moir, 50, from Sawston, died in a head-on collision with a bus when he fell in its path after clipping the kerb that separates the path from the busway while trying to overtake pedestrians. It happened in a similar area of the busway, between Long Road and Cambridge railway station.
In a statement to Cambridgeshire County Council’s highways and transport committee on Thursday (November 4), chairman Cllr Peter McDonald (Lib Dem, Duxford) said: “Firstly, on behalf of the county council, I would like to offer our condolences to the family and friends of the woman who was sadly killed on the busway last Tuesday (October 26).
“Safety on the busway is a priority for the county council and remains under continuous review.
“We have identified a suitable expert to carry out a fully independent analysis into what has happened on this section of the southern busway.
“This will include a further review of the previous fatal incident on this section of the southern busway and will make recommendations as to any improvements that could reasonably be made. We will update on this work in due course.
“In addition, we will continue to assist the police and coroner with their investigations as required.”
An inquest following the 2018 fatal incident heard there was nothing the bus driver could have done to avoid Mr Moir.
At the time, Mr Moir's brother, Rob, called for more separation between buses and the path "so this would never happen again".
The speed of buses using the stretch of road was reduced and white lines were painted along the kerb.
But Mr Moir warned in 2018: “In our view without physical separation the likelihood of this happening again is quite high, especially with the number of people that use that stretch.”
There have been calls for fencing to be put in to improve segregation and safety.
The Health and Safety Executive has yet to complete its investigation into the 2018 crash.
The cause of the latest incident has yet to be established. Police have appealed for witnesses to get in touch via their web chat service or online forms or by calling 101 quoting incident 385 of October 26.
Read more
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Pedestrian dies after collision involving guided bus in Cambridge
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