Fury as ‘traffic calming’ planters block ambulances
RESIDENTS say they are angry at their local council for claiming emergency services haven’t been delayed by newly-installed trafficcalming planters – despite footage showing ambulances repeatedly having to turn around and find alternative routes.
At the start of September, a series of planter roadblocks were installed on five roads in Heaton Chapel, Stockport, as part of a trial to ease traffic and to stop the area from being used for rat-runs.
However, outraged locals say they fear the filters could now cost lives as they are causing emergency vehicles up to four minutes’ delay as they have to reverse out of the streets.
CCTV footage shows several ambulances being confronted by the roadblocks and being forced to turn around – often while displaying blue flashing lights.
Alison Stafford-Bentley, 55, lives near to where the modal filters have been installed and says she ‘feels sorry’ for paramedics caught out by the roadblockers.
Alison even claims to have approached an ambulance driving near her house on November 2 and says she found they were unaware of the new road scheme.
Alison said: “This ambulance was trying to get onto Bollington Road, but it was stopped by planters twice. As it was coming back down Halesden, it made to turn into Downham Road which is where I stopped them.
“I stopped them before they got down to where the third set of planters would have been.
“We have a WhatsApp group and somebody messaged me saying she’d seen it go past hers, with blue lights flashing.
“I knew straight away that it was going to come back, that’s what they’re all doing.
“I went out and waited, and I stood in the middle of the road to stop them.
“They obviously didn’t know how to get to where they needed to get to. We estimated it was probably a four-minute delay.”
In a letter sent to residents on September 28, Stockport Council said reports of ambulance delays were ‘misinformation’ and stated that all emergency services had been consulted prior to the filters being installed. However in a subsequent statement, the council simply said the ambulance service had ‘not reported any concerns to the council about the current trial scheme having an effect on its service.’
North West Ambulance Service said they were unable to tell what events the ambulances in the videos were responding to but claimed there had been no reports of delays on their ‘official reporting systems.’