CAMDEN traffic bosses have attacked the London Ambulance
Service’s concerns over speed bumps – urging paramedics to get on
their bikes.
The council’s deputy leader Cllr Theo Blackwell disputed a claim
by LAS chairman Sigurd Reinton that the lives of an extra 500 heart
attack victims could be saved if London’s roads flowed more
smoothly.
“To date I have been aware of no substantive evidence that has
been used to back it up,” he said.
Environment cabinet member John Thane said problems of heavy
traffic and speed bumps could be beaten if ambulance staff used
bicycles.
In his written evidence to the London Assembly’s (LA) transport
committee, which is scrutinising the controversial issue of speed
bumps, Cllr Thane wrote: “We are aware of a successful pilot in
central London where medics were dispatched on bicycles showing they
reached the calls before the vehicle ambulance in 88 per cent of
cases.”
A council spokesman confirmed that Camden would like to see the
experiment repeated in the borough. “We would absolutely welcome it
and we think there is some scope for the experiment to be successful
in Camden.”
Camden, which has championed the widespread use of speed bumps,
despite furious opposition from residents in Primrose Hill and
Camden Town, was among three local authorities in the UK asked to
address the panel yesterday.
In his evidence Doug Amer, Camden’s head of street policy,
lashed out at LAS, claiming it had failed to attend a single traffic
management meeting in the past three years and had not become
involved in consultation on any of the Town Hall’s traffic calming
schemes.
But an LAS spokesman said: “We are often approached when each
scheme is a done deal so even if we do put our opinions forward they
are not necessarily going to be taken into account.
“We understand the reasons behind humps but we would like to
know if they are the most effective way of slowing traffic.
“We know that consultation does take place but we want
meaningful consultation early on in the process.”
LAS has previously given evidence to the London Assembly that
speed bumps cause problems for paramedics treating patients in the
back of ambulances.
But Camden’s traffic bosses have called for an in-depth study of
the effect traffic calming measures has on ambulances and told the
LA panel that speed humps:
o Do not damage homes through increased vibration;
o Do not increase air and noise pollution;
o Do not increase congestion;
o And do not cause cars to speed between humps.
Camden’s pro-speed hump stance is not echoed in Tory-run Barnet,
where environment boss Brian Coleman has overseen the removal of
about 100 humps from streets in the borough.
Cllr Coleman said: “Our policy has been very successful.
Residents who live in streets where humps have been removed do not
want them back in.
