Calls to scrap LTNs as nearly 240 ambulances delayed, figures reveal

Nearly 240 ambulances have been delayed from reaching call-outs by Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), fuelling calls to scrap the schemes across the country.

New figures from the TaxPayers’ Alliance reported by The Daily Mail have revealed that a total of 239 callouts of potentially life-threatening injuries or conditions in London had been held up by the controversial schemes.

It comes as there are growing calls from politicians, campaigners and residents to stop the schemes, with many concerned about the impact they have on emergency services.

Speaking to The Mail, Tory MP Greg Smith, who sits on the Commons transport committee, said: “By preventing ambulances getting to the emergency they’re attending, LTNs are clearly dangerous.

“It’s an extraordinary waste of money that people are paying their taxes for schemes that stop them being able to live their lives by going to work, a hospital appointment or doing the school run.”

Problems in Southwark

The worst borough for delays was Southwark, which recorded 69 delays since 2020. This was followed by Enfield (43) and Ealing (19). In one incident the TPA found that an ambulance had been held up for 15 minutes while trying to reach someone who was going through cardiac arrest.

Among the recorded incidents was an ambulance being delayed in east London for up to 15 minutes while trying to reach a patient who had collapsed from cardiac arrest.

Low-traffic neighbourhood zones began appearing in London during the Covid-19 pandemic as temporary measures. However, many councils decided to keep them in place when road traffic began returning to pre-pandemic levels.

They have now spread to a number of other towns and cities, with some local residents criticising the impact they have on pushing traffic to other roads.

In Rochdale last week, this anger saw some unnamed people set fire to two LTN planters blocking off a road. 
Elliot Keck, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Residents will be horrified that LTNs are delaying ambulances.

“These schemes aren’t just making cash cows out of motorists, they are also potentially endangering lives. Local authorities should put the brakes on these divisive schemes.”