Whitehall has called on local highway authorities to agree special routes for emergency service vehicles where ‘severe’ traffic calming is not installed.
A new traffic advisory leaflet from the Department for Transport setting out good practice in consulting the emergency services ‘strongly recommends’ seeking fire and ambulance service views on all calming devices, in addition to the statutory duty to consult the police.
And, in comments that appear to respond to Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance criticism that borough consultations were too late and presented as ‘a fait accompli,’ the DfT urges ‘meaningful dialogue’ at ‘an early stage’.
The leaflet also urges that all local authorities follow the example of Birmingham City Council and designate ‘strategic emergency routes’ where only low-impact calming devices can be introduced.
But London boroughs questioned the need for the advice, given that they routinely consult all the emergency services, and that – where this was not a detailed discussion over the individual merits of a scheme – it was not for boroughs’ want of trying.
‘All too often, it’s still maximum effort, for nil return’ when it comes to consulting the ambulance and fire services, complained Joe Weiss, chair of the London Technical Advisors’ Group.
He conceded, however, that there was ‘a logistical issue’ for the emergency services given the number of speed cushions, humps, chicanes and other devices that were installed.
Boroughs could encourage greater participation from the emergency services by ensuring they did not get sent parking consultations.
‘If you only push the button “consult”, organisations can end up being overwhelmed.’
The Metropolitan Police, which attacked the boroughs for the quality of their consultations when it appeared before the London Assembly in 2004, reported that boroughs ‘have definitely taken steps to improve the way they consult’.
There was ‘full discussion’ over important proposals that often included a site visit, said a spokeswoman.
The London Ambulance Service had said that involvement in consultations was decided ‘at the local level’, but in general ambulance operations managers endeavoured to engage ‘in a constructive spirit’.
And while Birmingham City Council was pleased that its ‘blue routes’ scheme – which involved ‘minor adjustments’ to traffic calming on over 625 miles of the city’s road network – was hailed as good practice, LoTAG was not convinced.
‘Creating special “fast routes” could just clear the way for boy racers,’ Weiss claimed. But Birmingham’s Cllr Len Gregory had argued that residents ‘deserved the best possible response times to 999 calls’.
• Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/07 : www.dft.gov.uk/
pgr/roads/tpm/tal/trafficmanagement