Work begins on final section of Busway cycle link
Cyclists, horse-riders and pedestrians are being advised that work to raise sections of the path next to The Busway between Swavesey and St Ives will begin on Tuesday 30 August.
Signs have been put in place at entrances to the route to give advance warning of the closure and a diversion route will be via local villages on the national cycle network.
Raising the level of sections of the path will stop rain water collecting and flooding it. The cost of the work has been deducted from former contractors as they built sections of the path at too low a level.
Once the path has been raised a top-notch blacktop surface will be added to complete the 16 mile cycling superhighway.
No access is permitted to the closed section of the path until the works are complete and Council bosses are warning residents that it is ill advised to walk or cycle on the guideway as buses are now running at least every ten minutes.
Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: A lot of work has been carried out with the Environment Agency to get our plans to this stage and it is great news that the work to raise the level of the cycleway can now get underway. The Busway is a great asset for Cambridgeshire and it is fantastic news that cyclists, walkers and horse-riders will have such a high quality path to enjoy. Once complete the route will have a top-notch surface, but please use your common sense while the work is being carried out as it is very unwise to walk or cycle on the guideway. The closure will begin after the bank holiday weekend to make sure people can make the most of the three day weekend."
The cycleway from Swavesey to Milton Road in Cambridge, and the section between Cambridge railway station, Trumpington Park & Ride and Addenbrooke's hospital, opened on Sunday 7 August.
Booming Busway as operators confirm extra services
Bus operator bosses have confirmed they are increasing the number of buses running on The Busway as demand for the new link is so high.
Extra buses have been on standby since the route opening on Sunday 7 August to cope with demand and duplicate buses have been deployed on the 16-mile track during busy periods. However, bus operators are now making extra services a fixture on the timetables.
The number of Sunday services were increased from last week, but from Sunday 4 September they will be upped again as they have been so popular. From Sunday 4 September Stagecoach will run buses every 20 minutes between St Ives and Cambridge with one bus an hour by Whippet. This doubles the number of buses originally planned.
An hourly Stagecoach Busway service will continue to run to Huntingdon on Sundays.
More improvements will also come into effect from Monday 5 September as Stagecoach add more peak time buses to help cope with extra demand from colleges such as Cambridge Regional College.
During the first seven days of the route connecting Huntingdon, St Ives and Cambridge opening to passengers, bus operators saw a total of 55,895 trips being made.
Council and bus operator bosses have said it will take a number of months before the real benefits of The Busway can be assessed as hundreds of extra commuters will begin using the route after their summer breaks.
As expected, bus operators have seen large numbers of people using the route into Cambridge, but businesses in the market towns of St Ives and Huntingdon have also been boosted by the number of people travelling out from Cambridge.
Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: "The Busway is being well used, more seats are needed to cope with demand, and operators are taking immediate action. This is great news. As the holiday season ends and we move towards Christmas I expect to see even more people using The Busway as it offers a fantastic service. The improvements now will help make the system more reliable which we believe is key to getting people out of their cars and onto buses."
"The summer holiday period is generally a little quieter on local bus services, but due to the demand in the holiday season we have taken swift action to add services at busy times. We will continue to assess how the service is running as we strive to make sure the route provides a premium service."
"We are very pleased with the number of passengers using the route and are glad to be able to increase the number of buses we are running. There is no doubt that The Busway will become a more and more attractive option for people as the summer holidays end and queues begin to build again on the A14."
For further information about routes, timetables and prices visit www.thebusway.info.
Contact John Reynolds
County Councillor John Reynolds
4 Holly Trees
Bar Hill
Cambridge
CB23 8SF
T 01954 200 571
F 01954 200 571
M 07720 379699
E john.reynolds@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
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