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| Non-emergency ambulance using the bus lane in London. Image by TfL |
I have spotted on Twitter/X that a local authority in Hull made a decision to degrade bus priority measures, and another is in America, where the State of Indiana General Assembly is trying to pass a bill to restrict bus lanes in Indianapolis, including the IndyGo Blue Line, a Bus Rapid Transit service.
The purpose of this article is to show my research on how bus lanes and priority measures are beneficial to emergency services, including non-emergency service ambulances.
As the emergency services tend to get held up in traffic congestion, an organisation named ‘Possible’ has posted their research about traffic congestion causing delays to the emergency services on call.
Excerpt from Possible
Traffic is holding up emergency vehicles
Our report finds that with each percentage point increase in congestion on the roads results in a one second delay to response times!
We found a similar trend in the average response times of the London Ambulance Service. There was a 47 second reduction in response time to the most serious medical emergencies and a much larger drop of 2 minutes and 39 seconds for emergencies where patients were conveyed to hospital via a full-sized ambulance.
Implications of this report:
The traffic-calming measures introduced during the lockdown were accused as being a cause for delays to emergency vehicles. However, research does not support these claims but instead shows that the real problem is excess car use causing traffic and congestion.
Our report makes the case that the most impactful way to improve emergency vehicle response times is to introduce measures that reduce overall congestion levels. When it comes to saving lives, every second counts.
West Midlands Combined Authority
Reimagining transport in the West Midlands: Local Transport Plan Draft Core Strategy
Exploring what the future could look like in different places
Supporting highly trafficked main roads
• Congested main roads often with queues
• Lack of segregated bus routes which causes delays to services
• Emergency services often get stuck in traffic
Here are the statements and texts by the public bodies that bus lanes and bus priority roads, such as busways, benefit emergency services to avoid traffic congestion.
Greater London Authority
Bus Priority Measures
Reference: 2001/0135-1
Question by: Brian Coleman
Can the Chairman of Transport for London explain the need for bus priority measures on Euston and Marylebone Roads, (specifically the widening of bus lanes) or give examples of any research carried out that suggests these routes require further capacity?
Answer by Mayor Ken Livingstone
Date: Sunday 9 September 2001
Bus priority measures on Marylebone Road and Euston Road have been implemented to overcome the inevitable disruption to the operation of the A501, especially for buses and taxis, as a result of works to reconstruct the ticket hall beneath the road at King's Cross underground station. Preparatory construction work started in the summer and the main works will continue for a period of some three years. The bus lane measures will also protect buses from the longer term effects of CTRL works at St Pancras Station that are expected to continue until 2007.
The measures are an integral part of the London Bus Initiative proposals for route 18. The LBI is a major plank in the Mayor's Transport Strategy. An incidental benefit is to safeguard access for emergency vehicles, which are regularly held up by queuing traffic and unable to make progress. There is, of course, a major fire station on the A501 serving important areas of London, particularly the railway and underground stations.
Bath & North East Somerset Council Bus Lane Enforcement Policy
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Parking Services staff are committed to:
Enforcing bus lane regulations, fairly and equitably & improving conditions for people living in, working in and visiting Bath & North East Somerset. This is achieved by: Effective bus lane enforcement, which;
- Results in a reduction of cars travelling through the city centre
- Improves the flow of traffic and encourages the use of public transport
- Improves access for the emergency services, local bus operations
- Reductions in congestion and associated airborne pollution
Flintshire County Council
Tuesday, 16th April 2019
The proposed bus priority measures will also improve the emergency services response times through the area because emergency vehicles will be able to utilise the bus lane in these situations. The lanes would however incorporate an automated enforcement process to deter use by non-eligible vehicles.
1.04 Traffic Modelling studies indicate that there is little detrimental impact to other road users but that the proposal would provide the following benefits:
• Improved Journey times for bus users.
• Improve emergency services response times.
• Provide cyclists with a safer environment.
Environment Overview And Scrutiny Committee
Tuesday 17th September 2019
Bus Lanes in Flintshire – Limitations on Use
1.05 Other authorised users are as follows:
Emergency services on blue light calls are permitted to use the infrastructure, thus improving emergency response times along the corridor.
Advice on what to do as a motorist if you encounter an ambulance
Please avoid pulling into bus lanes or cycle lanes. The ambulance crew are trained to negotiate traffic and may look to use the bus lane to pass, and you could get in their way or even get a ticket.
Use of Emergency Service vehicles on bus only roads
Bristol City Council
Hours of Operation:
All the bus lanes/bus gates operate at all times (24 hours a day, seven days a week).
Who can use the Bus Lanes/Bus Gates:
Vehicles being used by the ambulance, fire brigade and police services in the exercise of their official duties would be permitted to use all of the bus lanes.
Enforcement of the M32 Bus-Only Slip Road North Fringe to Hengrove MetroBus Route
Traffic Regulation Order (TRO)
With the exceptions of; emergency services, highway maintenance vehicles, Highways England vehicles and local buses, no other vehicle type is permitted to use the slip roads or bus lanes/bus gates at this location.
Luton City Council
Luton-Dunstable Busway
Major Scheme Business Case
Updated for Conditional Approval
April 2008 revision
Technical and Personal Safety
5.4.13 Buses will operate on a line of sight basis on the busway, and will at all times be able to stop within the distance visible ahead. In the event of a bus breakdown, a purpose built maintenance vehicle will be able to drive along the guided busway to reach the incident to recover the bus. In an emergency, the emergency services will be able to reach the site of the incident either via the emergency access track, along the busway itself or via adjacent roads.
Kent County Council
Notes of a meeting of Dartford Local Boards
Date: Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Questions from the public and Members
Q. At the Bluewater Forum it was discussed whether the system could be used by the emergency services.
A. In emergency the Fast Track Busway would be used
Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee 19 January 2021
Decision Number: 20/00118
Dover Fastrack – ANPR Enforcement of Bus Gates
1.3 Bus infrastructure should only be used by buses, cyclists, hackney cabs, and emergency services can also be permitted use. Bus gates are there to make buses quicker and reduce journey times.
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
Bus Rapid Transit Planning Guide
June 2007
Box 1: Bus lanes or busways
Non-transit vehicles are generally not permitted access to a busway although emergency vehicles often also may utilise the lane.
Bus priority works - PTEG/Urban Transport Group
Peak bus journeys through sections of Rochester are now 40% faster, providing convenient access to employment and new housing across Medway. General traffic flow has also benefited as the bus stop is now within the bus lane rather than on the road, and National Cycle Route One was improved as part of the works. In addition, the bus lane means emergency services can by-pass traffic queues at peak times.
The use of non-emergency service vehicles such as ambulances to use bus lanes.
Bus Lanes: Ambulance Services
House of Commons written question for Department for Transport
UIN 690, tabled on 11 February 2020
Question by Alex Chalk MP
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward a nationwide exemption to permit ambulances to use bus lanes.
Answer by Grant Shapps MP
17 February 2020
The Department has made no such assessment.
Ambulances on emergency business are already generally allowed to use bus lanes through an exemption in the underlying Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which creates a bus lane. Local authorities can extend this to ambulances on non-emergency business if they wish, but will need to consider whether the vehicles are easily identifiable for enforcement purposes, and the impact on the operation of the lane for buses.
Local authorities are best placed to judge how best to operate bus lanes on their road networks. Bus lanes are provided to give buses priority over other traffic, particularly at congested times of day, and to provide bus passengers with a more reliable service. Allowing more vehicle types to use a bus lane may start to erode this priority.
City of York Council
Decision details: Use of Bus Lanes by Ambulances
CYC have received a request from the emergency services, to be allowed to use bus lanes within the City of York Council boundary whilst not travelling in an emergency. Yorkshire Ambulance Service have asked us to consider on the basis that some ambulance journeys do not warrant the use of the lights but are still time conscious and the ability to use bus lanes would help with journey times when responding to non-emergency calls.
Decision: Agreed to change the traffic regulation orders to allow marked ambulances to use bus lanes when not on emergency response.
Date of decision: 29 September 2020
Transport for London press release
Non-emergency ambulances, police cars and fire vehicles to use TfL bus lanes after trial resulted in fewer missed hospital appointments
From today (Friday 19 May 2023) ambulances, police and fire vehicles across the capital will have access to bus lanes on London’s main arterial roads while on duty, even when not dealing with an emergency. This follows a successful trial with Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust that saw fewer missed appointments, and no negative impact on bus journey times.
The trial was set up to help people travel to appointments smoothly. More than 150 non-blue light patient transport vehicles were given access to over 25km of bus lanes in Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and Lewisham on the TfL road network (TLRN). It also included bus lanes managed by Lambeth Council and took place over 12 months from February 2022.
It found that the number of missed NHS appointments fell by around 20 per cent and saved the Trust money, with no impact on bus journey times. The trial benefited patients who are unable to use public transport to attend appointments, reducing journey times and delays.
There are more than 8,000 emergency service fleet vehicles that use London’s roads, meaning the Metropolitan Police Service, the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service will benefit from less congestion and faster journey times, helping to provide a better service to all Londoners. Outpatients who rely on patient transport at all the capital’s hospitals will now be less likely to miss appointments with knock on savings for the trusts themselves, and improved health outcomes for many patients.
Roads and priority measures that are dedicated to emergency service vehicles
On the motorways electronic signs (especially variable speed limits), they display a red X sign to close one lane to allow the emergency services ease of access to the incident.
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
Smart motorways
On a smart motorway, one or more lanes may be closed because of an incident ahead – you’ll know because of red X signs above the carriageway. Emergency vehicles will use these lanes if they can. Keep out of these red X lanes. If no lanes appear to be closed, be prepared to help create the emergency corridor.
There are roadways that are dedicated to ‘authorised vehicles’ that include emergency services to gain access. They are usually seen throughout the motorways, such as slip roads and access to motorway service stations.
Highways Agency and National Highways by Freedom of Information request
16 September 2014 and
Motorway Service Operators are obliged to enter into sealed agreements with the Secretary of State in order to have signed access to the motorway network. These include a number of mandatory provisions. Amongst these are the requirement that use of the rear accesses to their sites must be confined to authorised vehicles only. This is necessary in order to prevent the service areas from becoming informal motorway junctions (with consequent disruption to the lives of those living and working on the approach roads) and to ensure the safety of legitimate users of the sites, especially pedestrians, who could be exposed to danger from through traffic travelling at speed.
Motorway Service Area accesses are private means of access not a public rights of way and must be controlled to restrict unauthorised access. As such the use of the rear access could be considered as trespass and public use of the access without prior agreement would be prohibited.
Current policy stipulates that rear access roads are only used by motorway service area staff / deliveries, emergency services and Agency staff / contractors where an access is in use. Access to other facilities or developments through motorway service areas are not permitted anywhere on the strategic road network. Service Area Operators work very hard to comply with the terms of their agreements in order to control the access roads and a consistent approach is maintained through the Agency’s oversight. Further information about roadside facilities for road users on Motorways and All - Purpose Trunk Roads in England can be found in DfT Circular 02/2013. A copy is attached for ease of reference.
Conclusion
Whenever there’s a proposal to add, remove, or reduce restrictions on bus lanes, campaign groups should mention how bus lanes and priority measures are beneficial and important to emergency services, as they are needed to attend incidents at the fastest (and safest) possible time. This includes rushing injured people to the hospital for treatment to save their lives.
Non-emergency service vehicles such as ambulances transporting patients should be allowed to use bus lanes, which will help reduce missed or late appointments, as I quoted from the press release above.
Bus lanes and priority roads are vital for emergency services to save lives!
Absolutely! Bus lanes and bus priority roads are also used by emergency services, which provides an incidental benefit of saving lives as they regularly get held up by traffic congestion. pic.twitter.com/AC0hynQHjn
— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) January 18, 2024
You can read more about bus lanes and bus priority systems on the City Transport Info website.
I invite you to follow me on Twitter/X by searching for @CLondoner92 or by clicking on the direct link to my Twitter/X page here. I'm also on BlueSky and Mastodon.
Further reading
Transport for London’s 2023 Consultation Reports for Bus Service Changes Reveal Popularity for the New Routemaster and Tram Buses
Why I Believe Transport Enthusiasts Are The Biggest Promoters Of Public Transport?
Suggestion: I Believe It’s Time for a New Regional Transport Body for the South East of England?