2011 Streak 103/365: Comings and goings in Cambridge

2011 Streak 103/365: Walking - 4.85 miles, time - 2hrs, Weather - Cloudy and cool

Another day in Cambridge another use of the park and ride, with walking instead of riding but instead of walking both ways, I just walked back.  Usually I do the obvious thing and follow all the way down the Trumpington Road  but this time I took a slight diversion in search of the Guided Busway.

For those of you who know nothing about guided busways (including myself) the picture shows the track. In its way this is a groundbreaking piece of infrastructure because it will be by far the longest such busway in the world, linking Huntingdon, St Ives and Cambridge. But it has not had an easy history, my picture might show wonderfully straight lines but that is no metaphor for a project that has been mired in difficulty from the very beginning. 

I am sure that every new piece of infrastructure faces objections but in this case 2,735 were lodged with the public inquiry. Nevertheless it was given the go ahead and work began in 2007, with completion expected in 2009.

As you might guess from the photo things have not quite gone to plan and it is still not open.  It might look completed but the contractor has not yet handed over the project and the latest excuse is that it doesn't have, or has mislaid, the required electrical safety certificates (very strange ). Of course costs have gone up, from an original £116 to £181, and of course there are stories of waste (such as people being employed since 2009 even though there was no service). There is a media archive here of the whole history that details the story.

Almost all infrastructure projects run into to problems, cost more than expected and are delayed (you only have to think of the Channel Tunnel). If they are good projects, after a time the initial difficulties are forgotten and people appreciate facility, which becomes part of their lives. If however the project is not well thought-out and unsuccessful it will always be derided as idiotic by people saying they always knew better.

At the moment you cannot tell what will happen as the concept is still waiting to be proved. All that I know is that at the moment an empty yet complete roadway feels odd and slightly eerie.

If the guided busway was the coming for Cambridge, the going is Fitzbillies.

I Know I am late with this news as it closed in February but it is still worth noting. It is one of those shops that somehow define a city, as Cambridge is a place that ought to have a good traditional cake shop. Something about that idea feels right. Fitzbillies was that shop… but no no more.

It was really famous for was its extremely sticky chelsea buns and so I can think of no finer tribute than this entry from the blog Afternoon Tease, which is a recipe for chelsea buns. 

I think I will give it a go.