London Ambulance Service FOIs
Explore our collection of correspondence between the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the Royal Borough of Greenwich, addressing delays attributed to low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), cycle lanes, and other road infrastructure. These documents, acquired through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, provide transparency on the impact of local traffic measures on emergency response times.
West Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme
8 July 2020
In July 2020, the Royal Borough of Greenwich notified all emergency services for the first time of its intention to introduce 'modal filters' (LTNs) in West Greenwich and Lee Green, requesting feedback within a tight timeframe of under two days.
The LAS expressed several concerns, particularly regarding the lack of GERDA or FB keys for ambulance drivers to unlock static bollards, and the potential delays that 'blocked' roads might pose to emergency responses.
In its correspondence, the LAS stated, 'It is not acceptable to delay ambulances reaching addresses of 999 calls within a restricted area, as any delay could result in death or permanent injury to a patient. HM Coroner has issued prevent future death notices regarding these issues previously, so any scheme must easily allow emergency vehicle access at all times during operation.'
Furthermore, LAS highlighted that blocking emergency services could fall under the Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006. Despite these concerns, the council proceeded with the scheme’s implementation, installing static bollards just one month later, in August 2020.
14 September 2020
The LAS formally reported two incidents of delays to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, attributing them directly to the newly implemented LTN.
The first incident occurred just seven days after static bollards were installed, resulting in a 5-6 minute delay to a category 1 response call, classified as immediately life-threatening, on King George Street.
The second incident involved a category 2 response call, also life-threatening, where a delay of 4 minutes was recorded due to the LTN's restrictions.
19 October 2020
The LAS reported another delay to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, citing the impact of the West Greenwich LTNs.
In this case, restricted access prevented an ambulance from entering King George Street from the base of Crooms Hill. Consequently, the ambulance had to take a detour via Blackheath Hill and along Shooters Hill Road, adding further time to the response.
12 November 2020
The LAS reported two additional delays to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, both attributed to the LTN measures.
The first delay occurred when an ambulance responding to a category 2 life-threatening call was forced to take a detour around Christchurch Way due to locked, static bollards blocking direct access.
The second delay, also involving a category 2 life-threatening call, saw the ambulance crew unable to proceed up Crooms Hill and having to turn around in an attempt to reach an address in Deptford.
In an internal email response to the LAS’s report, the council’s senior traffic engineer appeared to suggest that the delays were due to a ‘lack of knowledge’ among LAS staff, rather than the LTN infrastructure itself.
16 December 2020
The LAS contacted the Royal Borough of Greenwich to report five delays attributed to LTNs.
In its correspondence, the LAS requested a meeting to address the increasing frequency of these delays.
The council responded eight days later, on Christmas Eve, stating that a meeting would be arranged.
26 April 2021
The LAS contacted the Royal Borough of Greenwich to report an additional delay caused by LTNs. In its message, the LAS inquired whether the council had considered replacing static bollards with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to facilitate emergency access.
The council responded, indicating that a decision would be made the following month on whether to discontinue the scheme or make it permanent, with potential amendments, including the addition of ANPR cameras.
Following this exchange, an internal council email referenced a recent fire on King George Street. Despite a request for full disclosure of all emergency service correspondence, no report regarding this incident has been provided.
25 May 2021
The LAS wrote to the Royal Borough of Greenwich to report three delays.
The first delay, to a category 2 life-threatening response call, was caused by school street modal filters positioned on Invicta Road and Siebert Road in SE3.
The second delay was for another category 1 immediately life-threatening response call, and was caused by static bollards at the bottom of Crooms Hill.
The third delay was a result of cycle lane wands on Woolwich Road, preventing vehicles from pulling over to allow the ambulance to proceed; it took the LAS five minutes to drive 0.8 miles.
Despite previously being advised by the council that a decision would be made about the scheme that month, the LAS asked for an update on a review of the LTN scheme as they had 'had no update for some time.'
West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme
16 October 2023
The Royal Borough of Greenwich notified all emergency services for the first time that it was considering implementing ‘designs’ (LTNs) as part of its new West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management project, requesting feedback within a seven-day window.
The council’s email, viewable at the bottom of the linked document, raises significant concerns, as this was the first time emergency services were informed of the scheme. Notably, this communication came after the first stage of public consultation had begun in February and the second and final stage had already concluded, raising questions about the council's consultation process with key stakeholders.
In its message, the council acknowledged that the proposed scheme would require emergency vehicles to make detours, potentially impacting response times.
The LAS responded on 16 October 2023, addressing three pages of concerns and referencing prior correspondence from 5 July 2020, in which the LAS chief operating officer highlighted the risks associated with hard closures and requested their avoidance wherever possible to prevent adverse impacts on patient safety.
The council plans to implement the West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme on 27 November 2024.