The extension of the St Ives to Cambridge guided busway, which will allow services to travel to the proposed Cambridge Science Park railway station, will be a conventional road.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s (CCC) economy and environment committee opted yesterday (Tuesday) to drop the idea of extending the guideway from Milton Road, Cambridge, to where the new station will be built at Chesterton. Instead, tarmac will be laid with short guideway sections at the entrance to prevent cars from using the road.

A report to the committee said that while a road would not provide such a smooth journey for bus passengers, it would have lower build costs – £3.6million against £4m – and allow ‘future flexibility’. The report adds: “The lower up front costs, lower construction risk and greater flexibility of the unguided option are considered by officers to outweigh the potential ride quality and segregation benefits of a guided solution.” The extended route will also include a four-metre wide cycle path that will run parallel to the road. The Government has given CCC a £6m grant to cover access works for the station, including extending the guideway, but the money has to be spent by the end of March 2015.

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