Projects cancelled to bail out guided bus

11.34.22am GMT Mon 1st Feb 2010

Nigel Bell

Ely safety projects have been indefinitely postponed as Cambridgeshire Tories struggle to pay for the guided bus.

The projects, which include cycling and walking initiatives designed to encourage people from driving into the city centre, were included in a £1 million package of transport plan money.

But they have been put on hold after the guided bus, which will take commuters from St Ives into Cambridge, busted its budget.

The decision to use taxpayers' money to pay for the bus comes after Cambridgeshire Conservatives promised that public money would not be used for the project.

Ely County Councillor Nigel Bell said: "These cuts to the Market Town Strategy Fund have hit East Cambs particularly hard. The whole programme has practically ground to a halt, as the money is no longer there."

"The guided busway will bring little benefit to this part of the county. Why on earth should our community be footing the bill for it?"

Ely projects cut to cover the overspend include:

• The A142/Lancaster Way survey

• Ely, Cycling & walking: High Barns to Lynn Road improvement

• Ely, Walking: Pedestrian accessibility survey

• Ely, Cycling: Western boundary improvements

• Ely, Cycling: Publicity map

• Ely, Public transport: Infrastructure/Real Time Bus Information improvements.

South East Cambs Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, Jonathan Chatfield said: "It is completely unacceptable that people from these parts should be paying through the nose for a busway which has no relevance to them. The projects being postponed although small, matter to local people. Pedestrian accessibility matters.

"The safety improvements on the A142 are urgently needed, as is improved Real Time information on our bus services. But all of these are being set aside to pay for the blundering busway. The Conservative county council has a lot to answer for. After all, three Tory leaders promised not to do this."