RESIDENTS of Huntingdonshire should not be deceived by seeing buses on the guideway between St Ives and Cambridge Science Park tomorrow (Thursday) into thinking the route is open to passengers.

RESIDENTS of Huntingdonshire should not be deceived by seeing buses on the guideway between St Ives and Cambridge Science Park tomorrow (Thursday) into thinking the route is open to passengers.

The vehicles are on track so that contractors BAM Nuttall can carry out final checks to traffic signals along the route.

Engineers have already set up the traffic signals but the buses running will help make sure the sensors that trigger the lights to give buses priority at road junctions work as expected, Cambridgeshire County Council said.

BAM has informed council bosses they plan to run buses on Thursday and are placing advance warning signs near junctions along the track.

Residents who have already begun using the route to walk and cycle before it is officially open are being about the buses, which might take them by surprise. Although the route has been mainly complete – apart from outstanding ‘defects’ – for many months, it has not been available to the vehicles for which it was built.

Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists using highways that the Busway cross are also being reminded to observe traffic signals along the route.

Cllr Roy Pegram, Cambridgeshire County Council’s cabinet member for growth, infrastructure and strategic planning, said: “We have an unusual situation where some people have begun taking advantage of the route to walk and cycle before it has been handed over to the council. Although visibility on the route is good, I would encourage people to use common sense and keep off the concrete track.”

Once BAM Nuttall has handed over the route to the council – which will not now be until next year, the council said yesterday Tuesday, as it added �240,000 to the �9m penalty bill for late delivery of the two-years-late scheme – work to rectify defects will be handed to another contractor.