Guided Bus Way

[Crankarm]

Would also mention, I was waiting for the bus (long story) and 2 cyclists were coming along the section back to St Ives, and both were on the guided bus way tracks, travelling on the east bound sections but going west, obviously thinking they can get out of the way of bus much easier because they can see it early enough. Now call me old fashioned but coming around near the top of the blind bend, a bus hurtling toward you at 60 mph, your going to have be one hell of a cyclist, to see it, stop and get out of the way, cause I am not sure how stable one of those double decker's would be trapped in that guide way with the brakes on full...

If this flooding continues, I really do think some cyclist will get killed by cycling on there. I mean if a road was flooded, you would not cycle down train tracks, why people think the bus way is different is beyond me....

Don't you have a make-up mirror to enable you to see what is coming up behind you ?

 

[MisterStan]

Why not go by road via Fenstanton, doesn't really add much in the scheme of things (3 miles) ?

I did this yesterday (via the A14 as the low road was closed - took me about 15 mins extra to do an extra 5 miles (we didn't rejoin the Busway - went through the villages and into Cambridge down Huntingdon Road) drivers along the A1096 London Road were very well behaved on the whole.

 

[Glow worm]

A few more photos and info about the flooding of the Cambridgeshire busway cycle path have just been posted here.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Well I have cycled along there since it was built and that's the worse flooding I have seen, that's going to take weeks to clear, at least, when it last flooded I went down the Low road which was still open, so for that to be closed as well must be really bad. I am lucky that this and next week I am not at work, but going the other way to Huntingdon ! How lucky is that !

But you could not make it up could you? 120 million on a bus way that gets stuck in traffic at St Ives, and a cycle route that floods a lot, someone should have mentioned it was a flood plain and tell them the clue is in the title.....!!!

 

[MisterStan]

They were supposed, IIRC, to have no more than a 25cm difference in levels across the finished path.

as in height? I think they may have failed there!

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Om another blog, that I regularly visit, it was mentioned on there that people in Hi Viz were turning cyclists away from travelling to Swavesey from St Ives down the GBW track....
Probably fed up with them going on the bus way itself !!

 

[Crankarm]

Om another blog, that I regularly visit, it was mentioned on there that people in Hi Viz were turning cyclists away from travelling to Swavesey from St Ives down the GBW track....
Probably fed up with them going on the bus way itself !!

Oh-oh, the Hi-Viz militia. Give some one a Hi-Viz jacket they then think they have all sorts of powers.

I'm back at work next week. They are going to need a lot of hairdryers to remove all that water by monday.

 

[Crankarm]

A few more photos and info about the flooding of the Cambridgeshire busway cycle path have just been posted here.

Just a few puddles. I notice all those road cones only have one orange light between them meaning at night they will be difficult to see unless you have a very good light, but not so hard to see as the dangerous battleship grey barriers and posts that prevent vehicles from joining the GBW.

 

[Crankarm]

as in height? I think they may have failed there!

Has total incompetence already been mentioned?

 

[Crankarm]

Well of yesterday it was seriously flooded. On sunday before yesterday's extremely heavy rain all the lower level sections between Swavesey and St Ives were well flooded, even the very slight gradient by the woods adjacent to the bird hide between Fenstanton lakes and the end/start at St. Ives is flooded which caught me out as I went into it in the dark at about 18-20mph, big splash, water cameover the top of my chain set, shoes full of water and leggings soaked. Fortunately my panniers are fully waterproof/immersible which acted as buoyancy to keep me upright as they were half submerged as well. The water level at the concrete drain must be about 5 feet deep. Further back along the really straight stretch towards Swavesey trees are half submerged. It must be very deep here at least 8 -10 feet deep.The water level must only be about 12-18 inches below the actual busway. You can still pass by walking or riding if you have a MTB along the top of the bank adjacent to the bus way.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Well of yesterday it was seriously flooded. On sunday before yesterday's extremely heavy rain all the lower level sections between Swavesey and St Ives were well flooded, even the very slight gradient by the woods adjacent to the bird hide between Fenstanton lakes and the end/start at St. Ives is flooded which caught me out as I went into it in the dark at about 18-20mph, big splash, water cameover the top of my chain set, shoes full of water and leggings soaked. Fortunately my panniers are fully waterproof/immersible which acted as buoyancy to keep me upright as they were half submerged as well. The water level at the concrete drain must be about 5 feet deep. Further back along the really straight stretch towards Swavesey trees are half submerged. It must be very deep here at least 8 -10 feet deep.The water level must only be about 12-18 inches below the actual busway. You can still pass by walking or riding if you have a MTB along the top of the bank adjacent to the bus way.

thanks for the update, I knew it was going to be bad, but not that bad, at some point its going to flood the bus way itself I think.
Took the Low road on Monday and that was a foot underwater with no where to walk that was clear, so wet feet for the rest of the ride to Cambridge.
Its a joke that this is not sorted out. Useless.

But I have an idea, lets spend another 2 million extending the car park at St Ives, cause its always full............

 

[Crankarm]

thanks for the update, I knew it was going to be bad, but not that bad, at some point its going to flood the bus way itself I think.
Took the Low road on Monday and that was a foot underwater with no where to walk that was clear, so wet feet for the rest of the ride to Cambridge.
Its a joke that this is not sorted out. Useless.

But I have an idea, lets spend another 2 million extending the car park at St Ives, cause its always full............

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Tried to cycle back this stretch, but its a joke, about 75% of the entire 3 miles is under water, its so infuriating, they should have never built it rather than build something that does not work.
I have renamed it unofficially to the guided water way.
I truly hope it floods and then buries the thing is silt and mud forever, I hate it that much.

 

[pshore]

When the cycle capaign were asking for suggestions for a name, somebody said Snorkel Path.

 

[Crankarm]

After a nightmare ride along it in deepish snow 10cm from St. Ives to Cambridge yesterday morning as plebs had been walking along it and walking dogs causing their footprints to freeze making riding it almost impossible and extremely dangerous, it was cleared and salted last night when I came back. I was so relieved as I was exhausted when I got to work in the morning and late. Trying to control my bike from sliding everywhere even with studded tyres for 15 miles was extremely tiring.