Cambridgeshire County Council has been fined £6 million after three deaths between 2015 and 2021 on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.
Cambridgeshire CC pleaded guilty to two health and safety offences in September 2024 following the deaths of Jennifer Taylor, Steven Moir, and Kathleen Pitts in collisions with buses along the world’s longest guided busway.
In sentencing today (16 April) at Cambridge Crown Court, the fine was ordered to be paid over three years.
Mrs Taylor was killed in 2015 when she was hit by a bus while crossing the busway. Mr Moir died after he fell from his bike into the path of a bus in 2018. Ms Pitts was a pedestrian when she was also hit by a bus in 2021. Other injuries on the busway were taken into account during the case.
Following sentencing, a statement from Cambridgeshire CC Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Moir reads in part: “I fully accept that during the historical operation of the Guided Busway, the Council has fallen far short of meeting these standards.
“I am not only truly sorry for these failures, but I am also deeply disappointed that the Council has found itself in this position. This should never have happened.”
He adds the council had already “taken action to address the historical failings as well as ensuring risks are robustly managed in the future”.
“Our safety regime for the busway now includes thorough and frequent inspections, a rolling programme of risk assessments and strengthened incident recording, reporting and investigations,” he says. “We now have a dedicated busway operations safety team in place, and we have also installed bespoke fencing on the southern section of the busway, reduced speed limits and are reviewing all the signs and lining along the route.”
Safety measures have included working with Volvo to introduce Intelligent Speed Assistance in 2023. The technology enforces speed restrictions by means of GPS and control of the throttle and gearbox retarder.
