Bereaved family relieved over Cambridge busway closure

The brother of a cyclist who died on a guided busway in 2018 said it was a relief to the family that the section will temporarily close.

Cyclist Steve Moir died in a head-on crash with a bus between Cambridge railway station and Long Road.

A second person, pedestrian Kathleen Pitts, 52, died on the same stretch when she was hit by a bus in October.

Mr Moir's brother, Rob, said the closure "will hopefully prevent another death occurring".

Cambridgeshire County Council said the decision was made after "communications with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)".

The closure, on the inbound only track between the railway station and Addenbrooke's Hospital, is expected to begin on 17 January.

Measures such as painting new lines, installing signs and a temporary barrier to stop people from walking and cycling on the track will be installed.

The council said the closure will happen while it waits for any possible recommendations from an independent safety review.

Speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Rob Moir said: "It's a relief to us that finally, after over three since Steve's death, action is now being taken.

"The family has to relive Steve's death every time an incident happens down there, we feel it's well overdue."

He said the announcement from the county council was "a bit of a surprise" after it had already made changes to the speed limit on that section.

Buses will have have to divert onto the busy Hills Road, once the closure comes into place, which Mr Moir said would be "slightly inconvenient for the bus users".

"But hopefully in time the safety measures will be installed and the buses go back down there again and everybody can use that section side-by-side and safely," he added.

Labour MP for Cambridge, Daniel Zeichner, said he welcomed the closure but questioned why "we have waited a very long time" for recommendations from the HSE and the independent safety review.

But he said safety on the busway was "not a simple question to resolve, we really do need a safer solution to that section of track".

Cambridgeshire County Council said it would not comment further on the closure announcement.

The HSE said its investigation was ongoing and it continued to be in "constructive dialogue" with the council regarding safety on the busway.

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