‘Green’ bollard delays dying grandfather’s ambulance

Councillor calls for review of eco-friendly policy, claiming street furniture poses ‘serious threat to life’

THE family of a grandfather who died after an ambulance was delayed by road closures as part of Grant Shapps’s “green transport revolution” has warned others will perish if emergency services are blocked. South Central Ambulance Service has launched an investigation after a crew struggled to reach the pensioner because of a bollard and two planters.

The “fixed bollard” in Cowley, Oxfordshire, is one of three in the area which paramedics cannot unlock or collapse. Emergency services rely on satellite navigation to avoid the obstructions. The crew was called to Littlemore Road last Sunday after the 87-year-old had a suspected heart attack. Oxfordshire County Council had only recently fitted the bollard, forcing the paramedics to make a detour. The crew failed to meet their target response time.

Although the delay did not contribute to the death of the patient, his son and daughter-in-law warned others could die due to the fixed bollards.

The son, who wanted to remain anonymous, was “deeply concerned” by their use in “Low Traffic Neighbourhoods”.

“When I saw council engineers install them this month, I asked what access emergency services would have,” he said. “They said fire, ambulance and police would be given keys to unlock them. But I now know that is not the case. I asked because we have called an ambulance on a number of occasions due to my father’s condition.

“I’m worried because of the elderly community here – delays could mean the difference between life and death.”

David Henwood, an independent councillor for Cowley, has called for an urgent review into the use of “immovable bollards”, warning they pose a “serious threat to life”. He said: “It’s absolutely insane. It is imperative emergency services have unfettered access throughout LTNs. Someone has made a terrible decision to use a bollard that paramedics cannot unlock and remove.”

Mark Ainsworth, director of operations at South Central Ambulance Service, said the crew failed to meet the national target of seven minutes for a “Category 1” callout. The crew took nine minutes, meaning it did however meet the secondary target of “15 minutes nine times out of 10”.

The investigation will focus on whether the paramedics’ mapping software was up to date and working properly, or whether the crew wrongly believed the route was open to emergency services. A county council spokesman said all emergency services were consulted about the 14 road closures and had “expressed no concerns”.

Since May, the Government has given £425million to councils to create LTNs, introduced without public consultation, to promote walking and cycling.

The Sunday Telegraph has reported numerous cases where emergency vehicles have been delayed by LTNs.