Bus drivers in Cambridgeshire have made a plea for more to be done to relieve the traffic gridlock on the county’s roads, after seeing the difficulties and worry that delays cause passengers.

Speaking after the Busway between St Ives and Cambridge was particularly impacted last Thursday evening, one Stagecoach East driver said: “I cannot tell you how bad St Ives traffic was last night. 35 minutes to get from out depot to the other side of the A1307!

“’Drivers are having to consistently run late and finish late, and we had to curtail some services and not run the full journeys due to legal driving limits being reached. I think that’s the worst I have ever seen it.

“Addenbrookes is congested, Station Road has 4-way temporary lights. Hills Road and the city are congested. There are temporary lights at the top of Castle Hill. Harrison Way in St Ives has a water leak, which I understand, but the hole they dug and left wasn’t even in the road, so why are there 4-way lights on the only road in and out of St Ives? Every main road in St Ives was at a standstill.”

Ross Barton, Operations Director of Stagecoach East, said: “We can only express our sincere apologies to our loyal customers, along with our immense frustration, that congestion continues to be a curse across the region.

“We are proud to serve communities across one of the most dynamic, progressive, and exciting parts of the country; Cambridge and Peterborough are two of the fastest growing cities in the UK, but we are being let down by congestion on our roads. “Whether it is working on better parking enforcement or bus priority, or everyone involved in roadworks being certain how they will impact traffic and local buses, and then working to relieve disruption. There is a need to review the impact of roadworks schemes and how planning and communication to customers can be improved. The issue of congestion needs more focus from both local elected officials and other road users.”

PIc: Stagecoach East Operations Director Ross Barton