County council facing prosecution over spate of busway deaths
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is bringing a prosecution against Cambridgeshire County Council following the deaths of three people in separate incidents and the life-changing injuries sustained by a fourth person in a collision on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.
Of the three deaths, two people died after being hit by the buses on foot, and one was killed as a result of a collision while cycling.
The HSE said it is seeking to prosecute the council under s3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which says: "It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety."
The busway is a purpose-built road with concrete tracks designed to guide buses across the route. As a result of the tracks, drivers do not have to steer their vehicles along the 16-mile route, the longest of its kind in the world.
In November 2021, the speed limit on parts of the busway was reduced to 15mph following the death of one of the four victims, Kathleen Pitts, aged 52.
Pitts was hit by a bus on a section of the busway between Cambridge railway station and Long Road on 26 October 2021.
Her death followed the deaths of Jennifer Taylor, 81 - who was hit while crossing the busway on foot on 17 November 2015 - and Steve Moir, 50 - who died after colliding with a bus on the section of the busway between Cambridge railway station and Long Road on 13 September 2018.
The fourth person, a teenage cyclist, was seriously injured when he collided with a bus in the guided section of the busway parallel to Kings Hedges Road on 9 November 2021.
Commenting on the prosecution, a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council said: "We continue to extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of Jennifer Taylor, Stephen Moir and Kathleen Pitts.
"Safety on the busway is and remains a priority for the county council and the operators that use the busway. Since its opening in 2011, the Guided Busway has seen 33 million passenger journeys, the number of bus services has more than doubled, and during that time the council has worked with experts and made regular safety enhancements.
"There is a great deal of information to consider and for legal reasons it would not be appropriate to comment further in light of the decision taken by the HSE."
Adam Carey
