Greenwich Council’s willingness to put the community at risk by delaying emergency vehicles via LTN schemes, has replayed Council tactics during the 2020 West Greenwich 'Hills and Vales' LTN,
Freedom of Information Act (FOI) responses have revealed. Consultation with the Emergency Services – who are statutory consultees – was delayed in both instances, and the Council’s public information contradicted important warnings about schemes, which were developed apparently without concern for safety. The current Scheme continues to overload boundary roads against safety advice.
Greenwich failed to consult Emergency Services – until after the 6 October 2023 closure of the public consultation on a series of ‘options’. Ten days later, the Council sent a first letter to Services, who reacted immediately - severely criticising the plans. But in a Council leaflet then circulated to households, it was denied that emergency vehicles would be 'impacted' by the proposals and the Royal Borough of Greenwich claimed to be 'working with' services.
Later in 2023, the London Ambulance Service issued a general statement, that all LTNs have the potential to delay life-saving help. And in a detailed response, strenuous complaints were directed to the proposed changes, including the impact of physical barriers (bollards and planters), complex changes to road layout, and long boundary lines, which were likely to mean:
How the emergency services responded to the 2023 proposals
Bars to movement cause by 'no entry' signs were criticised, because a uniformed police officer is required to direct traffic against the sign.
Options put to the community in 2023 were likely to damage community safety. The West Greenwich Option 2 would, according to Services, have meant emergency crews [cannot] move west to east through the scheme at all without diverting, exiting and re-entering the scheme increasing running times and potentially delaying response or conveyance of patients'.
West Greenwich 'minimal' (Option 3) scheme 'would create an extremely confusing and complex network of one way streets severely hindering emergency access/egress and navigation around the area'.
East Greenwich Option 1 was condemned for the 'lack of access/egress to multiple residential addresses and creating 'significant diversions around congested roads to gain access'. Similar criticisms are levelled at Option 2.
Similar warnings in 2020 were also ignored until the scheme was modified at the end of 2021 after critical ambulance delays.
A political pro-LTN leaflet, distributed by Greenwich immediately after the 2023 Commonplace survey on the current schemes, claimed to 'bust the 'myth' that emergency vehicles would be slowed down by the LTN plans with the statement that 'reducing traffic overall will help them get to where they need to go faster too' and claimed the Council was in discussion with services. Detailed formal correspondence did not begin until 16 October 2023.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) re-issued a blanket warning to all local authorities against 'changes to road layout, traffic management schemes and road closures' which LAS says are known to 'have the potential to impeded our response to the most critically-ill people'. Services prefer ANPR in all cases, permitting unimpeded access to ambulances, fire engines and the police. The letter, sent on 17 October 2023 reminded Greenwich that all London boroughs and TfL had been warned of the contents more than three years ago on 5 July 2020.
Earlier Freedom of Information Act (FoI) disclosures showed that emergency services were only given 48 hours in July 2020 to comment on schemes. Service at that time condemned hard closures such as bollards and planters as highly dangerous and potentially putting life at risk. The Greenwich hard closures rebounded badly on the Council. Complaints of delayed ambulances were the underlying reason for modifying the 2020 LTN, and subsequently removing it in February 2022.
The options for schemes would necessarily open 'firegates' positioned at the Hyde Vale and General Wolfe Road A2 access, and (under Option 1) the Circus Street gate on Greenwich South Street. Opening the gates in 2020-2022 encouraged faster traffic speeds through the LTN especially by larger vehicles, and eliminated the effective width restriction.
Freedom of Information Act (FOI) responses have revealed. Consultation with the Emergency Services – who are statutory consultees – was delayed in both instances, and the Council’s public information contradicted important warnings about schemes, which were developed apparently without concern for safety. The current Scheme continues to overload boundary roads against safety advice.
Greenwich failed to consult Emergency Services – until after the 6 October 2023 closure of the public consultation on a series of ‘options’. Ten days later, the Council sent a first letter to Services, who reacted immediately - severely criticising the plans. But in a Council leaflet then circulated to households, it was denied that emergency vehicles would be 'impacted' by the proposals and the Royal Borough of Greenwich claimed to be 'working with' services.
Later in 2023, the London Ambulance Service issued a general statement, that all LTNs have the potential to delay life-saving help. And in a detailed response, strenuous complaints were directed to the proposed changes, including the impact of physical barriers (bollards and planters), complex changes to road layout, and long boundary lines, which were likely to mean:
- delays to all emergency vehicles, with heightened risk to pan-London units without local knowledge,
- emergency vehicles caught in long and congested of boundary road diversion, and
- changes of such complexity that some options would create an extremely confusing and complex network of one way streets severely hindering emergency access/egress and navigation around the area'.
How the emergency services responded to the 2023 proposals
Bars to movement cause by 'no entry' signs were criticised, because a uniformed police officer is required to direct traffic against the sign.
Options put to the community in 2023 were likely to damage community safety. The West Greenwich Option 2 would, according to Services, have meant emergency crews [cannot] move west to east through the scheme at all without diverting, exiting and re-entering the scheme increasing running times and potentially delaying response or conveyance of patients'.
West Greenwich 'minimal' (Option 3) scheme 'would create an extremely confusing and complex network of one way streets severely hindering emergency access/egress and navigation around the area'.
East Greenwich Option 1 was condemned for the 'lack of access/egress to multiple residential addresses and creating 'significant diversions around congested roads to gain access'. Similar criticisms are levelled at Option 2.
Similar warnings in 2020 were also ignored until the scheme was modified at the end of 2021 after critical ambulance delays.
A political pro-LTN leaflet, distributed by Greenwich immediately after the 2023 Commonplace survey on the current schemes, claimed to 'bust the 'myth' that emergency vehicles would be slowed down by the LTN plans with the statement that 'reducing traffic overall will help them get to where they need to go faster too' and claimed the Council was in discussion with services. Detailed formal correspondence did not begin until 16 October 2023.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) re-issued a blanket warning to all local authorities against 'changes to road layout, traffic management schemes and road closures' which LAS says are known to 'have the potential to impeded our response to the most critically-ill people'. Services prefer ANPR in all cases, permitting unimpeded access to ambulances, fire engines and the police. The letter, sent on 17 October 2023 reminded Greenwich that all London boroughs and TfL had been warned of the contents more than three years ago on 5 July 2020.
Earlier Freedom of Information Act (FoI) disclosures showed that emergency services were only given 48 hours in July 2020 to comment on schemes. Service at that time condemned hard closures such as bollards and planters as highly dangerous and potentially putting life at risk. The Greenwich hard closures rebounded badly on the Council. Complaints of delayed ambulances were the underlying reason for modifying the 2020 LTN, and subsequently removing it in February 2022.
The options for schemes would necessarily open 'firegates' positioned at the Hyde Vale and General Wolfe Road A2 access, and (under Option 1) the Circus Street gate on Greenwich South Street. Opening the gates in 2020-2022 encouraged faster traffic speeds through the LTN especially by larger vehicles, and eliminated the effective width restriction.
