Cambridgeshire County Council has approved plans to install fencing along the entire length of the guided section of the Cambridgeshire Busway to enhance safety.
The decision on 17 June followed three deaths along the route, over which the council was fined £6 million in April.
The council is to install permanent fencing and barriers across all 16 miles of the guided section at an estimated cost of £4.7 million.
Measures will include pedestrian impact-related barriers along the adjacent path used by pedestrians and cyclists, and guardrails at bus stops.
Jennifer Taylor, Steven Moir, and Kathleen Pitts were killed while cycling or walking along or across the world’s longest guided busway between 2015 and 2021.
After sentencing in April, the council admitted it had fallen short of safety standards.
At the meeting on Tuesday, the council noted measures already put in place to improve safety, which have included Stagecoach East installing Intelligent Speed Assistance technology.
The council also approved mitigations against flooding on the busway at a cost of £5 million.
The council had ruled out alternatives to fencing, which included widening of the southern section of the busway.
Also approved was the allocation of £9.76 million for a planned maintenance programme over the next 10 years. This will include maintenance of bus stops and lighting.
The busway, which was built on disused railway lines, carries four million passengers per year.
However, despite the council deeming it a success, the bus route has been controversial due to risk to the public and the safety record.
At the court case, the council’s Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Moir, said: “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…
“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.
“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.”
