Cambridge Area Bus Users note, from Causeway one.network, that a road closure has been granted for Cadent Gas from Mon 08/07/24 on Queen Edith’s Way, Cambridge between the Fendon Road roundabout and Wulfstan Way. As a result Stagecoach’s citi1/citi2 will be on diversionary routes.
Closure from Fendon Road roundabout to Wulfstan Way
Stagecoach have posted a service update. Following contact with their Cowley Road staff, we can conform these diversionary routes:
citi 1 be using Mowbray Road (A1134), Cherry Hinton Road, Wulfstan Road and Queen Edith’s Way between Fendon Road and Cherry Hinton High Street (Robin Hood junction)
citi 2 will be using Mowbray Road (A1134) and Cherry Hinton Road between Fendon Road and Walpole Road
The map, below, should help make these diversions clearer.
Click the image to view a larger version in a new tab
Note that this planning application includes a number of bus service enhancement proposals.
Click the image to download a printable PDF
Nick Vose, Director, Marengo Communication, writes:
We are pleased to provide you with an update on Railpen’s proposals for the Beehive Centre.
As you will be aware, we first submitted plans last year, including proposals for new retail, leisure, and community space, as well as laboratory, workspace, and green public space.
However, following feedback on the plans we decided to come back to you with revised designs.
The key uses proposed for the site remain the same, but we have reduced the height and massing of a number of buildings and adjusted building footprints and locations to increase separation distances between buildings and our neighbours.
A new park roughly the same size as St Matthew’s Piece has been introduced and we will plant even more trees (275 in total).
There is also a new direct cycle/pedestrian route through the site and Coldham’s Lane Roundabout will be upgraded to a four-way signalised junction, creating safer connections for pedestrians and cyclists.
Around 20 new shops and leisure facilities, including a small supermarket and gym are included on the ground floor. This is in addition to our plan to invest in Cambridge Retail Park which is also moving forward and will support the re-location of several retailers from the Beehive Centre. The development will also fund an additional 15 public buses per hour with a service extension to the train station, a new service to Milton Park & Ride, as well as new direct services to Cambourne and St Neots, Huntington and St Ives, Ely and Waterbeach. More than 4,200 cycle parking spaces will be created, and 460 car parking spaces – a third of which will provide electric vehicle (EV) charging.
Finally, in response to earlier feedback, we are also looking carefully at how our proposals can help reduce urban temperatures. We know that green spaces, trees, green roofs and vegetation are all very helpful as natural cooling measures and we are planning to replace large areas of concrete with new landscaping, 275 new trees, rain gardens, permeable surfaces and green roofs. In addition, we have committed to undertaking an Urban Greening Factor assessment to evaluate the quality and quantity of green space provided. More commonly used in London this voluntary assessment will demonstrate how green infrastructure has been integral in the design of the development. Several other design choices will also be taken, including carefully selected materials with a higher albedo, which is the metric for how much incoming sun is reflected by a material surface.
We are still listening and are now inviting residents and stakeholders to comment on these revised plans before we submit an amended planning application.
You can find out more about our updated plans on the 17, 18 and 19 July.
Wednesday 17th July 2024, 12pm – 4pm ScS – Unit 11 (next to Nando’s), Cambridge Retail Park, Newmarket Road, CB5 8JG
Thursday 18th July 2024, 4pm – 7.30pm ScS – Unit 11 (next to Nando’s), Cambridge Retail Park, Newmarket Road, CB5 8JG
We are also holding a further event for adjacent neighbours on Wednesday 17 July between 6pm and 7.30pm. This event will also be held in the ScS and a separate letter has been sent via the Royal Mail.
Further details of our events are enclosed in the attached community flyer – which has been sent this week to over 6,000 local residents – and we have prepared a social media friendly graphic, also attached, which we are asking stakeholders to share via their own social media channels.
We look forward to talking you through the latest proposals.
As readers might have guessed, this is not the Daily Mail headline, which read…
EXCLUSIVE Britain’s e-bus ticking timebomb: How nearly TWO THOUSAND electric buses worth £800m face urgent recall over fears they could see burst into flames
If you really wish to read the inaccurate, misleading nonsense from Darren Boyle (2 March 2024) in the Daily Mail click here.
… a hysterical report in the Daily Mail claiming uncited fears that affected buses “could see [sic] burst into flames.” … The Mail also quoted FairFuelUK founder and Reform UK candidate for the London mayoral election Howard Cox as claiming that taxpayers will “have to fund these expensive buses being taken off the road.”
op cit, routeone Team, March 6, 2024
And the facts?
Alexander Dennis has issued a safety bulletin to operators of BYD ADL Enviro200EV and Enviro400EV battery-electric buses in relation to a potential recall issue around the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in some of those vehicles. … An under-development permanent fix will be introduced to deal with the problem. DVSA’s recall listing service shows that it affects 1,758 buses produced by the BYD Alexander Dennis partnership. In the meantime, operators have been advised to ensure that the Hispacold HVAC system is switched off when those vehicles are left unattended.
ibid
So which of Cambridge’s e-buses are affected?
Not these nine…
No. None of the nine Mellor Sigma 12 buses serving Whippet’s U1/U2 routes
Nor these thirty…
No, Not the Volvo electric buses allocated to the P&R routes and the citi2
So, which? And how many?
Just these two…
BYD ADL Enviro400EV
Just these two. ⬆︎ The Alexander Dennis electric double deckers supplied to Stagecoach East for a project between the operator and the Greater Cambridge Partnership, supporting an improvement in air quality in the city centre of Cambridge and giving the opportunity to inform potential future investment in a zero emission bus fleet.
So, these two EXPENSIVE BUSES bought with PUBLIC MONEY are going to be off the road over fears they could burst into flames?
Err… No. Stagecoach drivers and mechanics will ensure that the Hispacold HVAC system is switched off when these vehicles are left unattended, pending a permanent fix from manufacturers ADL.
This puts us in mind of…
There was no wrecks and nobody drownded ‘Fact, nothin’ to laugh at at all!
Stagecoach’s citi2 buses will again serve Parkside from Sunday 14th April 2024.
The Volvo electric buses allocated to the citi2 route will serve Parkside
Many years back, before the advent of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, Stagecoach’s citi2 route (towards Milton) stopped on Parkside, opposite the Fire Station. Then, as now, in the opposite direction (towards Addenbrooke’s) buses stopped at Mortimer Road (NaPTAN 0500CCITY370).
Cambridge Area Bus Users wondered, with the 905’s move to Drummer Street bus station releasing Parkside, Bay 16 (NaPTAN 0500CCITY476) whether this stop would be available for use by the citi2. So we asked. The response surprised us.
Rather than using Parkside, Bay 16, the citi2 buses will pick up and set down at the stop opposite the Fire Station – now known as The Busway, Parkside (0500CCITY117) – which was previously used.
The Busway Parkside (0500CCITY117) from Google Maps
Cambridge Area Bus Users welcomes this development as the stop…
will be useful for Grafton Area shoppers, with a largely traffic-free walking route to Fitzroy Street, via Melbourne Place and Eden Street;
will be of some use for passengers to/from Anglia Ruskin University in the evenings and weekends (when the access from Mackenzie Road is closed);
will serve students, staff and visitors to Parkside College.
Members and others will no doubt have seen reports in the local media about work on the Southern Busway between Hills Road bridge and the Addenbrooke’s Spur Junction, based on this press release – Guided Busway works begin to allow closure to be lifted, 06 February 2024 – from Cambridgeshire County Council.
Since February 2022, a section of the Guided Busway in one direction has been closed between Cambridge Railway Station and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The inbound only track (closest to the maintenance track) was closed to allow for a temporary fence to be installed without reducing the width of the path used by pedestrians and cyclists. This measure has severely impacted the busway service and connections to key employment and health facilities.
The temporary fence was installed whilst we waited for an independent safety review and following ongoing communications with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and as part of our continuous review of safety on the busway.
The busway and the maintenance track (foot and cycle track) are currently programmed to re-open on Saturday 30 March.
Cambridge Area Bus Users wondered about speed limits, and asked some questions
The questions, and responses from a Cambridgeshire County Council Highways officer are shown below.
What northbound speed limit is proposed on the guideway?
The proposed speed limit will be the 30 mph restriction that was in place before the installation of the safety barrier, and which is in place on all of the operational parts of the southern section
Will this be mandated by the HSE, or at the discretion of Cambridgeshire County Council?
There has been no reference made by the HSE as to a required speed limit. As mentioned previously, the pre-existing speed limit will be in place when the closed guideway re-opens.
What is the justification for the 15mph limit on northbound buses leaving the guideway towards Station Place?
The speed limit was lowered to 15 mph several years ago, due to the increasing numbers of pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised traffic in this area. There is a transition area directly at the northern end of the Cambridge-bound guideway where cyclists cross between the carriageway and the maintenance track in both directions, and where there is more interaction with pedestrians using the maintenance track and the footpath towards Station Place. In addition, there is subsidiary traffic entering and leaving the same are via the access from the Obsidian development adjacent to the Busway.
Could this be raised to a 30mph limit?
While it would be possible to raise the speed limit to any required level, the Council would not wish to exponentially increase the risk of a collision with non-Busway traffic, and the increased likelihood of major injury or death arising from such an increase. The current speed limit allows bus drivers more time to react to what can be unpredictable movement by non-Busway users.
What is the justification for the 30mph limit on the southbound guideway to the Addenbrooke’s spur junction?
The speed limit across the entire southern section was reduced to a blanket level of 30 mph some years ago, largely in response to the increased numbers of pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised traffic arising from the construction of new housing developments, and the expansion of the Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The speed limit is also in keeping with those in place on the road network around the Busway corridor.
Can the southbound guideway – separated from the cycleway/footway/maintenance track by the northbound guideway, and the new fence – revert to the original 56mph limit?
Whilst it would be possible to raise the pre-existing speed limit to the original speed limit of 56 mph, there is no compelling case to do so. The maximum theoretical transit time gained through increasing the speed limit to 56 mph over this limited distance would be approximately 62 seconds, assuming that a bus entered and left this section of guideway at that speed. However, as the speed limits at either end of the section would be lower, there would be a period on entry where a bus would need to accelerate to the maximum permitted speed, and subsequently a period where the bus would need to decelerate before exiting the guideway to match the speed limit in place at the end of the guideway. These actions would reduce the gains in transit time well below the theoretical maximum.
In addition, and possibly of a greater impact , all buses that use the southern section have their speeds regulated by on-bus control systems using GPS-based geo-fencing. The accuracy of these systems does not have sufficient accuracy to allow for differing speeds on the guideway tracks that are immediately adjacent to each other.
If the 30mph limit is mandated by the HSE, will the County Council and Combined Authority press the HSE to allow the limit to be raised?
As stated above, the HSE have not made reference to any required speed limit in the southern section. The rationale for the 30 mph has already been addressed in my response regarding your question on the 30 mph limit on the southbound guideway. As I have already stated, there is no compelling case to increase the speed limit, and the technology in use to regulate bus speeds currently in use would preclude a separate speed limit for one section of guideway in this section.
Whilst a 15mph limit is required for southbound buses at the point of entry to the southbound guideway, why does this apply from the junction with Station Place?
The reasons are the same as stated above, in response to your question regarding the 15 mph speed limit for buses leaving the northbound guideway.
Could this apply only from the overhead hanging height limit warning signs before the Hills Road bridge, with the 30mph limit applicable in Station Place continuing up to this point?
As outlined above, given the levels of non-Busway traffic using the area, there would be little to gain by doubling the speed limit for buses over such a short distance, and any gains in transit time would be negligible. The area between Station Place and the height restriction barrier is where large numbers of pedestrians cross the roadway from the station side to reach the path that eventually joins the maintenance track adjacent to the guideway south of Hills Road bridge, and an increase in the speed limit would increase the likelihood and severity of a collision between buses and non-Busway traffic.
We look forward to the re-opening and, even with the lower speed limits in both directions, buses will, once again be able to avoid the traffic congestion on Hills Road (which the Greater Cambridge Partnership and others seems reluctant to tackle).
The images displayed here are from BusAndTrainUser the retirement activity for Roger French OBE DL MA, former MD of Brighton&Hove Bus Cº, a blogging site which we are pleased to promote.
Cambridge Area Bus Users 