Cyclist down .... on guided busway.

[Camgreen]

From the information in the article it's difficult to know how this has happened.
http://bit.ly/q04phy

The busway isn't open yet. It's common knowledge that until it's finally sorted cyclists should stay off it. Hopefully the cyclist injuries aren't as serious as first thought.

Anybody who cycles around this bit of the city know anything more about it?

 

[Glow worm]

That's an odd one as it states..

“We are satisfied our driver followed procedure by sounding the horn and slowing down to around ten miles per hour to warn the cyclist on the opposite guideway.''

It's a badly written piece but one assumes the guy can't have been hit by the bus, but 'stumbles into' the bus from the opposite track makes little sense. I've been on that thing to St Ives once - before the buses started using it and the concrete tracks are pretty narrow. Maybe the cyclist was spooked by the bus driver arsing about with his horn and got distracted? (I came off too when I used it but due to a passing kingfisher that I paid more attention to than the narrow tracks!)

 

[Jezston]

Aaand already we have a comment from some purporting to be a bus driver complaining about the 'lycra brigade'.

Seriously, 'lycra brigade'? What does that even mean?

 

[2Loose]

I confess to cycling on it too last year - a good smooth and level bit of concrete although I didn't realise that there were finally buses on it now!

If the cyclist was in the oncoming right hand track, I would imagine the wind generated by the bus to be quite strong...a wobble on that narrow track and it is quite possible that he fell towards (and into) the bus.

 

[Camgreen]

I've also used it too. Obviously the concrete tracks are built for the bus and not the cyclist; as mentioned they are a tad too narrow, but do keep the mind focused

. There are plans to put hard standing along the whole of the route between St Ives and Kings Hedges so there is a proper cycle way, as opposed to the loose shale which is there for quite a bit of it at present; though I'm not sure how much progress has been made.

A man has been seriously injured and I wish him a speedy recovery, but the bottom line here is, the cyclist shouldn't have been on the busway (either on the concrete track or the bridleway/cyclepath) in the first place. Plenty of warnings/requests not to use it while construction is finished off, though this isn't much consolation to the guy who had the accident of course.

 

[Glow worm]

a tad too narrow, but do keep the mind focused

. There are plans to put hard standing along the whole of the route between St Ives and Kings Hedges so there is a proper cycle way, as opposed to the loose shale which is there for quite a bit of it at present; though I'm not sure how much progress has been made.

It's nearly all tarmac now apart from a small stretch apparently. More about this incident here: http://keeppushingthosepedals.blogspot.com/

 

[maggie_0]

Poor guy, his injury sounds awful. Fancy braking his leg!

Although I am not a fan of Cambridge's stagecoach drivers, he should not have been cycling there really, it has been in the news they are testing it and it is finally?! set to open this summer...

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I don't know the system but from the photo it does look like a daft place to be riding a bicycle....

 

[Alien8]

It's not like the bus suddenly appeared from around a blind-corner.

What a muppet.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

As much as I wish the cyclist well it is great to see some common sense prevail (in the sense that the cyclist should not have been riding there.)

 

[Camgreen]

It's nearly all tarmac now apart from a small stretch apparently. More about this incident here: http://keeppushingth...s.blogspot.com/

Well if it's tarmacked like the photo suggests for most of it, that'll do for me. Found riding on the stones a bit dicey at times even on the hybrid; the concrete track even dodgier

 

[Angelfishsolo]

That article answers another question for me (what are guided buses?) Seem like a cross between tram and train. Nice idea.

 

[martint235]

Hope he gets well soon, wouldn't wish injury on anyone. It does seem a very strange place to think "Oh this looks ok for cycling on". Assuming you don't get injured, you've got plenty of opportunity to wreck your wheels!

 

[Camgreen]

Hope he gets well soon, wouldn't wish injury on anyone. It does seem a very strange place to think "Oh this looks ok for cycling on". Assuming you don't get injured, you've got plenty of opportunity to wreck your wheels!

Agreed, and not only does it not look okay to cycle on (well bits of it at least), there is notices requesting that you don't, for your own safety.

 

[goo_mason]

That article answers another question for me (what are guided buses?) Seem like a cross between tram and train. Nice idea.

We had a section of guided busway for a few years here in Edinburgh near work. The buses run along a sunken track, and have little guide wheels that stick out slightly from just behind the front wheels. These press along the side-walls of the track and effectively steer the bus as they're connected to the front wheels. Initially, the sidewalls weren't very smooth or even, so it the buses were nicknamed 'the shoogly bus' as passengers were shaken rapidly and violently from side to side as they travelled.

The other slight snag was that if there was an accident or a breakdown on the busway, it was put completely out of action as they couldn't just drive around the obstruction!

It was great while it lasted - the track was off the main road and allowed the buses to avoid a notoriously busy & tailed-back section of road. Unfortunately, the track was tacken out of operation over two years ago for conversion into a sectio of tramline - and since we still have no trams, it's lying partially-completed and unused.