Stagecoach East has called for direct engagement between utilities companies and bus operators on roadworks. That comes after the operator criticised uncoordinated schemes in Cambridge that it says will combine with existing congestion to make operating reliable services in the city increasingly difficult.
The operator notes that utilities work leading to the closure of a road in Girton on two consecutive Sundays in September will leave service 6 “without any feasible diversion” on those days.
A separate, almost four-week project at around the same time will disrupt route 1, which is the city’s busiest service. That will be compounded by a further set of temporary traffic lights nearby that will begin operation during the same period.
Stagecoach East Business Development Director David Boden has acknowledged efforts by Cambridgeshire County Council to mitigate the effects of roadworks on bus services, but he notes that “sadly there are limits” to the local authority’s powers.
Mr Boden adds that the roadworks that will affect route 1 are not the first on the stretch of road in question during 2023. “What this has meant for our customers, when combined with congestion in the city, is that we have had to reluctantly reduce the frequency of the service from every 10 minutes to every 12, just the ensure that we can offer as reliable a service as we can.”
Mr Boden is not the first bus industry manager to criticise a lack of coordination and communication over the scheduling of roadworks. “Now is the time for everyone, including the utility companies, to engage with bus operators directly in a meaningful and productive way,” he says.
“With such engagement and desire from the utility companies to go the extra mile, even when this costs them extra money, solutions can be found, such as shuttle buses paid for by the utility company.”
