Hi, I live in Cambridge and regard the Guided Busway as a missed opportunity to re-instate the rail services. Instead they have ripped up the track and replaced it with a concrete plank trackway. One ton of concrete is worth around 3,000 car miles and there are 15 of them in each plank. There are hundreds and hundreds of planks, probably several thousand. This is aa scheme that keeps re-stating its "green" credentials!

To answer a few questions -

Why do local authorities like them? - I don't know, there was no public opinion in favour of this - local people think it was someone's pet project.

Why is it important that vehicles can pass each other at speed - this was a throwaway line by those that don't understand trains - the line replaced was a single track line. Trains passed each other in stations, but then anyone who is over 50 doesn't really have to have this explained.

The sad thing is that the railway was never properly evaluated - it was bundled in with a non-optimal road scheme and the guided busway was bundled with the preferred road scheme, the rail and preferred road scheme were never evaluated together. Now the two schemes have been de-coupled - they are no longer interdependent - surprise surprise, Do I smell a rat? Yes.

Having said all that, I hope it is a success - it is the only hope of improving my local bus service.

Regards Norman