Ambulance delay highlights Exeter traffic issues

Delays witnessed multiple times

Campaigners calling for an Exeter road to be re-opened to traffic have released a video which they say shows an ambulance on an emergency call being delayed.

The ambulance, with blue lights on and siren sounding, is seen being brought to a standstill by traffic in Haldon View Terrace, one of the streets the campaigners say is suffering congestion as a result of closing Dryden Road.

The closure was brought in during the Covid pandemic to provide a safe and traffic-free route in and out of the city centre, and supporters say it has done its job by cutting pollution and making the area safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

But a campaign has been launched to have Dryden Road re-opened to all traffic, with claims that the closure has increased congestion and pollution in surrounding areas such as Bovemoor Lane and Haldon View Terrace.

Devon County Council’s highways and traffic orders committee (HATOC) is due to decide on the future of the road closure in the summer, having just completed an extensive public consultation on it.

Ian Frankum, who has campaigned to re-open the road to traffic, with a segregated lane for cyclists, said: “Delays for blue light vehicles have been witnessed on numerous occasions, and the latest video shows one of many occasions when ambulances have been impeded. It demonstrates unequivocally that problems occur, and the concerns raised by the South West Ambulance Service Trust are real.”

In a submission to a recent HATOC meeting the trust said its priority was to ensure that emergency vehicle access to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital was not compromised. It asked to be fully in the review.

Mr Frankum went on: “While we are not claiming the opening of Dryden Road for vehicular through traffic would solve all of this, it is undisputed that traffic going up and down Haldon View Terrace and Bovemoors Lane would significantly reduce.

“This in turn would decrease the congestion experienced on the access roads to our Emergency Department.

“For the safety of all staff and patients travelling to the Emergency Department, these reasons alone surely add weight to the already-overwhelming evidence for the re-opening of Dryden Road to vehicular traffic in both directions.”

A statement from the ambulance trust said: “Individual Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes are a matter for local authorities and the trust will work with partner organisations to ensure we can continue to effectively respond to patients.

“When changes to road access are made, we work to determine the risk and subsequently work with our staff to mitigate any potential issues.”