Vehicles stuck in car traps more than 100 times

Vehicles have got stuck in a guided busway's car traps 127 times since the start of 2020, official figures show.

Cambridgeshire's guided busway takes modified buses along a dedicated track – with no access for cars – and serves Cambridge, St Ives and Huntingdon.

Last month a police officer responding to an emergency was given a temporary driving ban after falling foul of the trap at Station Road in St Ives which, with 73 cases, has the highest number of vehicles reported to have got trapped.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it had "taken care to follow the appropriate guidance on signage and traffic lights to ensure the busway access is as visible as possible".

There are physical barriers, car traps, CCTV and road signs prohibiting entry to vehicles other than guided buses.

In November 2023, the council said it installed extra signs at Station Road to try to make the restriction clearer.

At that time, the authority said it was aware of 60 occasions when drivers had "turned into the busway at St Ives" – at the junction of Harrison Way and Station Road – during the 12 years since the traps were installed in 2011.

The figures given to the BBC in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request response show there were 61 instances of cars being trapped at that spot in 2020 to the end of 2023.

On this spot, a council spokesperson said: "Over the years, we have sought to raise awareness of the busway restrictions at this location by putting in more road signs prohibiting entry to vehicles (other than guided buses) on the approach to the busway, adding a large area of red-coloured surfacing, additional white lining around the junction and two large 'guided bus only' markings on Station Road to discourage motorists incorrectly turning on to the route.

"We would like to remind drivers to look out for the signage if they are driving around this location."

The next highest spot where vehicles have got trapped since the start of 2020 has been King's Hedges Drive in Cambridge, with nine incidents.

The council said in its FOI response that it carried out assessments and "regularly inspect and review our car traps for maintenance and health and safety purposes".

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.