Latest news with #Huntingdon
BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Huntingdon drink driver, 80, banned after traffic light crash
An 80-year-old drink driver has been banned after wrapping his car around a set of traffic man crashed the Honda Civic at the junction of Primrose Lane and Nursery Road in Huntingdon on 2 Police said when officers arrived at about 03:00 GMT, the man was still in the car but his speech was slurred, he was unable to stand up straight and was found to be twice the legal alcohol limit for said the man admitted drink driving at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on 16 June and was disqualified from driving for 20 months and fined £300. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire guided busway safety fence gets go-ahead
A council that was fined £6m after three deaths on its guided busway has approved plans to install permanent fencing and Taylor, Steve Moir and Kathleen Pitts died between 2015 and 2021 after collisions on the Busway route that runs from Huntingdon to County Council has said it accepts the "historical failures" relating to the authority hopes to begin installation work this year on the route, which stretches 16 miles (26km). The council confirmed it would initially prioritise the sections used by the most the fences along the length of the Busway, which is the longest of its kind in the world, will cost an estimated £ decision was unanimously approved by councillors on the highways and transport committee on Tuesday, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The council said a "new and robust" safety regime had been in place since the authority was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court in April, prompting it to recommend more safety measures as a Jordan, executive director for place and sustainability at the county council, told the meeting it "continues to express condolences to the families impacted and has apologised unreservedly for its failings". A permanent fence on a section of the Busway between Cambridge railway station and Long Road Bridge was installed in April 2024, which the council said was proving to be Beckett, Liberal Democrat chairman of the committee, said the authority needed to do whatever it could to prevent further deaths on the measures are also planned to deal with flooding issues, which the council said had created an additional safety meeting heard this would cost about £7m, including a contingency budget, and could include pontooned walkways. John Morris, the leader of Hunt Walking and Cycling Group, told the meeting flooding issues had been raised repeatedly, ever since the Busway opened in said he was pleased investment was being proposed to tackle the issue.A guided busway uses specialised infrastructure to direct buses along pre-determined and dedicated paths. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Residents plant own trees to replace dead A14 ones
People have taken to planting their own trees along the side of the A14 after the deaths of "a large proportion" of the many saplings that were originally planted. More than 860,000 trees were planted as part of the £1.5bn A14 upgrade between Cambridge and the A1, which was completed in 2020, but many died, and had to be replaced by National Highways. The company said between October last year and April, 165,000 trees and shrubs were planted and that almost 90% survived. However, Cambridgeshire County Council said it had not been told where the replanting took place, and some local residents had begun planting their own. About 270 hectares (670 acres) of habitat, including 40 native tree and shrub species, was created for wildlife along the new section of the A14, which realigned the dual carriageway south of Huntingdon. National Highways said in 2022 about about 20-30% of the trees had died but all were replanted. In a more recent statement it said: "Between October 2023 and April 2024 – the optimum planting season – 165,000 trees and shrubs were planted. "Our latest survey showed that nearly 90% of these trees have survived." However, people living along the road have taken matters into their own hands. Vhari Russell, who lives close to the A14 in Brampton and founded the rewilding group Creating Nature's Corridors, said: "If you are really passionate about something you can sit back and wait for other people to fix it, or you can try and fix it yourself." She said trees were vital to reduce the noise from the busy road and it was her mission to "plant more greenery to try to protect ourselves from it". "We had grown various different trees in the garden in pots and we've planted all of those into the bank - I think we've probably put in 150." Speaking about the failure of the initial planting, Ellen Thurman-Lavey, from Barcham Trees near Ely, said saplings relied on a number of factors to survive. "During Covid, many of us will remember that spring was really warm and we had a couple of hot summers after that," she said. "Those sorts of climatic events have a massive impact on that sort of planting because the rainfall is not there and the trees therefore don't get their root systems away and they struggle, from the beginning." She said without intervention - watering - it would be difficult for trees to thrive. Liam Beckett, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Brampton and Buckden, said: "We're asking them [National Highways] to do what they said they would do, which is to mitigate the negative impacts of this on local residents. "It doesn't seem a huge thing to ask." The scheme is to be discussed at a county council meeting later. The agenda paper states "trees initially planted by the A14 programme experienced high rates of death, and National Highways committed to a replanting programme". However, it also states that documents provided to the council's biodiversity team contained only basic information. "National Highways has stated that it planted 165,000 trees and shrubs between October 2023 and April 2024," the agenda says. "The council does not know where replanting has taken place, and the observations from officers traveling along the new A14 is that replanting appears to have been in a few limited areas." The council said it would continue to highlight the issue to National Highways. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Trees to be replanted by A14 after mass death Surveys carried out after road scheme trees die 'Large number' of road scheme's million trees dead A14 bypass section opens to traffic a year early Cambridgeshire County Council National Highways Creating Nature's Corridors
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire residents plant own trees to replace dead A14 ones
People have taken to planting their own trees along the side of the A14 after the deaths of "a large proportion" of the many saplings that were originally than 860,000 trees were planted as part of the £1.5bn A14 upgrade between Cambridge and the A1, which was completed in 2020, but many died, and had to be replaced by National company said between October last year and April, 165,000 trees and shrubs were planted and that almost 90% Cambridgeshire County Council said it had not been told where the replanting took place, and some local residents had begun planting their own. About 270 hectares (670 acres) of habitat, including 40 native tree and shrub species, was created for wildlife along the new section of the A14, which realigned the dual carriageway south of Highways said in 2022 about about 20-30% of the trees had died but all were a more recent statement it said: "Between October 2023 and April 2024 – the optimum planting season – 165,000 trees and shrubs were planted."Our latest survey showed that nearly 90% of these trees have survived." However, people living along the road have taken matters into their own Russell, who lives close to the A14 in Brampton and founded the rewilding group Creating Nature's Corridors, said: "If you are really passionate about something you can sit back and wait for other people to fix it, or you can try and fix it yourself."She said trees were vital to reduce the noise from the busy road and it was her mission to "plant more greenery to try to protect ourselves from it"."We had grown various different trees in the garden in pots and we've planted all of those into the bank - I think we've probably put in 150." Speaking about the failure of the initial planting, Ellen Thurman-Lavey, from Barcham Trees near Ely, said saplings relied on a number of factors to survive."During Covid, many of us will remember that spring was really warm and we had a couple of hot summers after that," she said."Those sorts of climatic events have a massive impact on that sort of planting because the rainfall is not there and the trees therefore don't get their root systems away and they struggle, from the beginning."She said without intervention - watering - it would be difficult for trees to Beckett, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Brampton and Buckden, said: "We're asking them [National Highways] to do what they said they would do, which is to mitigate the negative impacts of this on local residents. "It doesn't seem a huge thing to ask." The scheme is to be discussed at a county council meeting agenda paper states "trees initially planted by the A14 programme experienced high rates of death, and National Highways committed to a replanting programme".However, it also states that documents provided to the council's biodiversity team contained only basic information."National Highways has stated that it planted 165,000 trees and shrubs between October 2023 and April 2024," the agenda says. "The council does not know where replanting has taken place, and the observations from officers traveling along the new A14 is that replanting appears to have been in a few limited areas."The council said it would continue to highlight the issue to National Highways. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Woman seriously injured in Cambridgeshire car and lorry crash
A woman was seriously injured after a crash between a car and a lorry on a busy incident happened on the Brampton Hut roundabout, which links the A14, A1 and A141 near Huntingdon, at about 11:25 BST on Police said a white BMW M240i crashed with an HGV.A woman in her 20s, who was a passenger in the car, was being treated for serious injuries while the BMW driver, a 29-year-old man from Milton Keynes, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and released on bail until 12 September. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
