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Nov. 12th, 2009
Cambs - More Guided Busway Problems
Nov. 12th, 2009 01:02 pmAs mentioned here a couple of weeks ago...
Will guided busway be ready in time?
THE guided busway has still not been handed over to Cambridgeshire County Council by the contractors building it, raising fears there may not be enough time for driver safety training before its official opening.
With just over a fortnight to go before buses are due to begin running, the two sides remain deadlocked over contractual differences.
Contractor BAM Nuttall is arguing that the cost of building the concrete roadway has exceeded the £116 million budget set by Shire Hall.
Work was expected to be completed by the end of October, with the council carrying out completion trials during this month - with the first buses running on November 29.
But a spokesman for BAM Nuttall told the News: "We are still working towards handing over the busway - there are still a few issues to be sorted out. These include the negotiations that have been going on over the contract. Obviously we want to hand over the project as soon as we can and see the buses running on it."
But the hold-up has raised fears there will not be enough time to give drivers proper training in using it.
Cllr Mike Mason, who represents Histon and Impington on South Cambridgeshire District Council and is a former deputy Traffic Commissioner, said: "I think it's unacceptable from a safety point of view. Driving a bus along the guideway is not as easy as people might imagine. It is important that drivers are given as much time as necessary to train."
Cllr Roy Pegram, the county council's cabinet member for growth, infrastructure and strategic planning, said: "We are still aiming to open the busway on Sunday November 29 and for that to happen we need to conclude a legal agreement with contractor BAM Nuttall. This agreement has not yet been completed and must be in place before final testing and driver training can be carried out."
He added that details of how the final "snagging work" - small, finishing-off jobs - would be carried out would form part of the agreement.
Mr Pegram said: "Some of the snagging work that does not affect the opening of a safe, high quality and fit-for-purpose busway track will need to be completed after the opening."
Reacting to safety concerns, a council spokesman said buses had already run at full speed on all sections of the track, which runs from St Ives to Cambridge.
He said: "This has happened as recently as this week, and the busway is ready for final driver training to begin once our agreement with BAM Nuttall has been signed."
Andy Campbell, managing director of Stagecoach, said two weeks would be sufficient to fully train the 40-strong team of drivers who would be using the busway.
"We have been doing some driver training along short sections of the route already," he said. "However we want each driver to have at least a full day's training before the opening. Two weeks should be sufficient time to do that."
Will guided busway be ready in time?
THE guided busway has still not been handed over to Cambridgeshire County Council by the contractors building it, raising fears there may not be enough time for driver safety training before its official opening.
With just over a fortnight to go before buses are due to begin running, the two sides remain deadlocked over contractual differences.
Contractor BAM Nuttall is arguing that the cost of building the concrete roadway has exceeded the £116 million budget set by Shire Hall.
Work was expected to be completed by the end of October, with the council carrying out completion trials during this month - with the first buses running on November 29.
But a spokesman for BAM Nuttall told the News: "We are still working towards handing over the busway - there are still a few issues to be sorted out. These include the negotiations that have been going on over the contract. Obviously we want to hand over the project as soon as we can and see the buses running on it."
But the hold-up has raised fears there will not be enough time to give drivers proper training in using it.
Cllr Mike Mason, who represents Histon and Impington on South Cambridgeshire District Council and is a former deputy Traffic Commissioner, said: "I think it's unacceptable from a safety point of view. Driving a bus along the guideway is not as easy as people might imagine. It is important that drivers are given as much time as necessary to train."
Cllr Roy Pegram, the county council's cabinet member for growth, infrastructure and strategic planning, said: "We are still aiming to open the busway on Sunday November 29 and for that to happen we need to conclude a legal agreement with contractor BAM Nuttall. This agreement has not yet been completed and must be in place before final testing and driver training can be carried out."
He added that details of how the final "snagging work" - small, finishing-off jobs - would be carried out would form part of the agreement.
Mr Pegram said: "Some of the snagging work that does not affect the opening of a safe, high quality and fit-for-purpose busway track will need to be completed after the opening."
Reacting to safety concerns, a council spokesman said buses had already run at full speed on all sections of the track, which runs from St Ives to Cambridge.
He said: "This has happened as recently as this week, and the busway is ready for final driver training to begin once our agreement with BAM Nuttall has been signed."
Andy Campbell, managing director of Stagecoach, said two weeks would be sufficient to fully train the 40-strong team of drivers who would be using the busway.
"We have been doing some driver training along short sections of the route already," he said. "However we want each driver to have at least a full day's training before the opening. Two weeks should be sufficient time to do that."