Cambridgeshire busway deaths section concerns safety watchdog

The safety watchdog has concerns over a section of guided busway where two people have died, an inquest heard.

Steve Moir, 50, and Kathleen Pitts, 52, died on the southern part in Cambridge in 2018 and 2021 respectively.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told a pre-inquest review into Ms Pitts' death that an inspector "raises concern" over the ease of "trespass".

The court heard Cambridgeshire County Council was "unlikely" to agree with the HSE's position.

Both pedestrian Ms Pitts and cyclist Mr Moir were killed on the section between Cambridge railway station and Long Road.

According to council papers, councillors have received a "confidential report" on a proposal costing nearly £3m to widen the pathway adjacent to that section.

A pre-inquest review hearing held on 27 March, which the BBC has obtained a recording of through the coroner's service, heard the HSE inspector "raises concerns with the ease with which the busway can be trespassed, whether intentionally or otherwise".

Matthew Taylor, representing the HSE, added: "Essentially, the busway itself, the bus in that section doesn't have the ability to manoeuvre, you can only go forwards and therefore to prevent any type of incident where something trespasses across that busway the only thing they can do is reduce speed."

He said the HSE was considering prosecuting four incidents on the busway "which are relatively similar in nature" and will make a decision by the end of April.

The BBC understands that the incidents include the deaths of Ms Pitts and Mr Moir, as well as the death of Jennifer Taylor at Fen Drayton in 2015.

Tom Boulton, representing the council, told coroner Elizabeth Gray: "It won't come as a massive shock, I'm sure for you to know, that it's unlikely the council will be agreeing with the position taken by the HSE in relation to certain aspects of the case and how it will present its case.

"This is an ongoing, long-running investigation involving multiple allegations and it would be imprudent in public to comment on it in any great detail at this stage other than to say there may be a difference of view between the HSE and Cambridgeshire County Council based upon a long history which goes back to the very design and the initial introduction of the busway."

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