Although none of those problems that you refer to seem to be specific to it being a busway, they were to do with a badly managed project which can happen with trams (Edinburgh), trains (WCML upgrade) or any other infrastructure.
Surely a more important stat about the Cambridgeshire system is that it's beating passenger forecasts?
I think it is meaningless to talk about delays and cost overruns as a reason to dismiss busways given that tram system have also encountered similar problems.
Clearly, there would be no busways if a rail alternative could be installed at similar cost as rail offers superior comfort. Rail should be chosen if the demand is particularly high. The relatively low population in the Cambridge to Huntingdon corridor wouldn't normally even merit consideration of any special transport scheme.
The Dutch have installed several busways (not guided) and are clearly impressive in the way they avoid traffic and offer reliable journey times. Some of these busways have grown patronage so much that light rail conversion is now being considered.
You make a fair point in that I have blamed the busway idea itself for these problems. I assume that the relative development age and usage may be a problem (a lot less used than rail), but the problems with other busways are not convincing me that it is a particularly good idea, Luton included.
The Cambridgeshire Busway will easily hit £200m once all the legal problems have been sorted out. For that price, a light rail system could easily have been built on the old track bed, albeit with some (by that I mean quite a bit of) difficulty through towns. That is where the buses do come in handy; they are not stuck to the ground.
Nevertheless, passenger forecasts are being broken, perhaps due to the fact that services run up to Somersham, through Addenbrookes and now to Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough, as well as the core St. Ives-Cambridge. But has this, or will it have any impact on Godmanchester, where a major 750+ home development is due, with "nil-detriment to the A14"? Fairfield (developer of the project) are supposed to subsidise a service
connecting to St. Ives P+R, but for how long?
The relatively low population in the Cambridge to Huntingdon corridor wouldn't normally even merit consideration of any special transport scheme.
Yes, but with the A14 literally bursting with the never-ending upgrade/tolling saga and many major developments in the wings, a railway would be a major asset. Sure, the busway is great, but a railway (if bypassing instead of penetrating) would have had major development potential, with the possibility for faster through services from Peterborough to Alconbury/Huntingdon, St. Ives, Cambridge, Stansted Airport and the towns in between. That would do so much..
Sorry, my points really aren't that great, but I haven't had the time to develop them well. In short, I'm not convinced about busways, despite their numerous advantages.
