As I write this on Saturday afternoon the petition calling on the bus companies that run on the busway to reduce speed in the section between Long Road and Cambridge rail station has nearly 2000 signatures. It’s a clear sign that the residents of Trumpington are concerned about the danger posed by buses going at speed just next to the path where they walk and cycle.
I hope that we get more signatures, and that on Monday morning we get a response from the bus companies – a positive one, that reassures us all. When we receive the report from the Health and Safety Executive then we can decide what long term measures are needed to ensure that all users of the busway are safe, but until then, I believe that a voluntary speed reduction is a sensible and proportional response.
The tragic death of Steve Moir as he cycled from Cambridge Assessment’s office along the guided busway on the narrow section between the station and Long Road has saddened all of us, and my thoughts and sympathy are with his family, friends and colleagues. It is the first time such an accident has happened, and it has shown clearly what many people have been saying for years: that stretch of the busway is a massive public safety risk, and it cannot be allowed to run as it does now.
Unless we act now others will die or be injured, like the unfortunate tourist who was unaware that buses ran along what he thought was a water channel and was clipped by a bus, or the passengers hurt when buses have derailed.
My view is that the single thing that would make a real difference would be to reduce the speed of the buses to 20mph in that area, at least until robust safety measures can be put in place. The slight increase in journey times and need to rethink the timetable is surely worth it if it reduces the chance of a pedestrian or cyclist being injured or killed? If properly enforced it will also reduce the risk to passengers.
Yesterday we heard about the tragic death of a cyclist on the guided busway after a collision with a bus. This is under investigation now, and we must not draw conclusions about the circumstances of the incident, but my thoughts are with their family and friends.
It was less than three months ago that I was walking down the Trumpington section of the guided busway with four members of the highways safety and cycling team to discuss options for improving the safety of this route for pedestrians and cyclists. I had also met with one of the bus operators the previous day.
My main request was to have the speed on the buses reduced on the section from Clay Farm to where it joined the road near the station, from 53mph to 20 or 30 mph. I had calculated that this would only increase the journey time for this section by about 3 minutes. It was agreed that some visibility issues could be improved, along with highlighting the raised kerb of the track and the provision of warning signs, but the option for reducing the speed of the vehicles was not within their powers.
Fence lowered to improve visibility
Some of the issues were explained to me. The guided bus tracks were on private land, speed limits could not be enforced and, most crucially, it was not a road so the police had no jurisdiction, but it was not a railway either, so the Health and Safety Executive had no jurisdiction either – there seems to be no single body accountable for safety on the busway.
After yesterday’s awful accident I think we find a way to make progress here, before something else happens. It has highlighted again how vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists can be to large vehicles that travel at speed close to the pathway. I use this route often and sometimes get frightened by the fast, heavy vehicles.
As well as safety measures like road markings, surely is it time for an accountable safety body to be put in place. What other vehicle transport system does not have this?
As a Labour campaigner and now councillor, I’ve always been clear that I support the EU and voted to remain in the 2016 referendum. I have said many time that I would work hard to minimise the negative impact of Brexit on Trumpington and the whole of Cambridge. While leaving the EU now seems inevitable, there are many issues to consider.
First, it seems to me that there’s a strong case to investigate the 2016 referendum, and that the Electoral Commission is not equipped to do this. In August over 50 MPs and peers wrote to the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency asking them to investigate the Vote Leave and Leave.EU campaigns, and I support this too. If an investigation discovers that the referendum was compromised then we have to ask whether we want to rerun it under more careful supervision, or not.
It would be simplest if the Article 50 process could be paused until these investigations were complete, but the political reality is that this is very unlikely to happen – neither the British government nor the EU27 seem to see it as a possibility.
Since it seems unlikely that there will be an investigation, we should ask what else can be done.
There have been changes to the executive of the City Council and on August 15 I became Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces. As a result I’ve stepped down from the the Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee and the Housing Scrutiny Committee.
This is an enormous privilege. I look forward to ensuring that all allotments are in full use and the streets and toilets are clean – as well as delivering Labour’s vision for Cambridge, tackling climate change and making the city cleaner and greener.
Please note that my brief has now changed and as of June 2021 I am Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport, having covered Streets and Open Spaces 2018-2019 and Planning Policy and Open Spaces 2019-2021
The fourteeen mixed recycling bins at Waitrose are being removed because of consistent contamination, however the underground bins at Fawcett Road in Abode and Windmill Drive in Aura have now been commissioned, which is great news as it’s an issue that was raised many times when we were campaigning.
The new ones provide more space – and I’m still pressing for the Novo underground bins to be used as soon as possible.
Last week I spoke out at the South Area Committee, the group which brings together councillors from the south of the city, about the need to make the guided busway safer. It’s an issue that was often raised by local residents and something I feel strongly about as a cyclist whose family use the path regularly.
Calling for safety features on the Busway
The issue was highlighted by Josh Thomas in his report for the Cambridge Independent, published yesterday – and then this morning we heard the dreadful news that a pedestrian had been hit by the wing mirror of a passing bus. Fortunately it seems that the person involved was not seriously hurt, but it highlights the dangers of having fast-moving buses in close proximity to pedestrians and cyclists.
I will be exploring the best way to ensure that we’re all safe on the busway, whether through a fence or other measures.
I am very honoured to have been elected to represent Trumpington on the City Council – thank you to everyone who voted for me in what was a nail-biting election. I’d also like to thank my mum, who showed me what a strong woman can do from an early age.
Katie’s Tweet
Sometimes local councillors get elected and then disappear for four years, expecting to be re-elected because they wear a certain colour rosette. Sometimes they move to Scotland! I promise that I will not be that kind of councillor. I’ve been talking to thousands of you in the past 18 months, and I know your priorities: tackling congestion and traffic, improving public transport, fixing broken pavements, making sure that new communities have the facilities they need.
Some councillors promise the world and say that they will sort out every problem and issue. I will be honest with you from the start: I may not be able to fix everything. But I will take every single person’s problems seriously and do everything I can. If I can’t get something done, I will continue to campaign for change, and I will always get back to you and explain the situation.
Some of the issues we face in Newtown – such as congestion, pavements and social care – are County Council matters, and your existing Labour county councillor Linda Jones has been working hard over the last year to make improvements. Others are city issues, such as safety, refuse collection and planning. Now Linda and I can work together as a team on city and county issues to identify and deliver on your priorities.
I am very honoured to have been elected to represent Trumpington on the City Council – thank you to everyone who voted for me in what was a nail-biting election.
I look forward to working with every other councillor to do the best for everyone in Trumpington going forward, and will start working to make a difference on the issues I campaigned on.
Today is polling day for the local elections and I’m spending the day reminding supporters to get out and vote – if you’re in Trumpington today then you may see more or another Labour supporter with a clipboard, a pile of reminder leaflets, and a determined expression!
Thank you to everyone for your support – it’s been wonderful to meet so many people during this campaign, and I look forward to the count tonight.
