Cambridgeshire County Council plead guilty to Guided Busway offences
Jennifer Taylor, Steven Moir and Kathleen Pitts all died accessing the busway between 2015 and 2021
Last updated 2nd Sep 2024
Cambridgeshire County Council have pleaded guilty to two charges brought by Health and Safety Executive, in relation to three deaths on the Guided Busway in the county.
In May 2023, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced it had started prosecutions against the authority following an investigation, served by a court summons earlier this year.
Jennifer Taylor, Steve Moir and Kathleen Pitts all died in collisions with buses on Cambridgeshire's busway between 2015 and 2021.
Jennifer, 81, and her husband, who was not injured, were walking along the busway road when she was struck by a bus in 2015.
Steve Moir, 50, a cyclist, died after colliding with a bus on the section of the busway between Cambridge railway station and Long Road on 13 September 2018.
Kathleen Pitts, 52, who was on foot, died after being hit by a bus on the section of the busway, also between Cambridge railway station and Long Road on 26 October 2021.
A 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.
A statement on behalf of the council has been released today.
Cambridgeshire County Council's Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Moir, on behalf of the council, said:
On behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council, the following statement is being issued by the Council’s Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Moir:
“In May 2023, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced its intention to prosecute Cambridgeshire County Council for historic health and safety offences arising from the operation of the Guided Busway. Legal proceedings against Cambridgeshire County Council formally commenced in May 2024.
"The charges brought against the Council relate to the tragic loss of the lives of Jennifer Taylor, Steven Moir and Kathleen Pitts, along with other incidents where individuals accessing the busway were injured. The County Council, first and most importantly, continues to extend its deepest condolences to the families and friends directly affected by these tragic events. They are at the forefront of our thoughts today.
"In providing the Guided Busway for the people of Cambridgeshire, the County Council has a duty and responsibility to uphold the highest standards of health and safety at work. We fully recognise and accept that during the historic operation of the Guided Busway, when these incidents occurred, that we fell far short of meeting these standards. For that we are truly sorry.
"With that clear understanding and acceptance, we are therefore taking an important and responsible decision, today, to plead guilty to the two offences which the HSE are prosecuting the Council for. In doing so, we fully acknowledge the serious historic failings on the part of the County Council, which we are now addressing.
"The safety of people accessing the Guided Busway is of paramount importance to the County Council and to the bus operators that use our infrastructure. We have ensured and we will continue to ensure that the lessons learned from these historic failures are addressed properly. We will further ensure that the current and future management of the Guided Busway is regularly reviewed, updated and that the necessary assurances are in place to enable us to provide this important, accessible and safe public transport system to the people of Cambridgeshire.
"Although we are issuing this statement today due to the ongoing legal proceedings and whilst we await further decisions from the courts, it would not be appropriate for the County Council to offer any further comment at this time."