| Topic: | Re:Re:Paramedics couldn’t get to patient because of covid-bollards | |
| Posted by: | Raymond Havelock | |
| Date/Time: | 04/09/20 08:57:00 |
| Trouble is they are blocking streets that were designed and built as distributor roads. Slightly wider than other roads. They are and always have been busier than other roads by their very nature and consequently the house prices have always reflected this since they were built - even in horse and cart days they were busier. They have traffic calming and size and weight restrictions to curb large HGVs and have had for a decade for two. But the other streets are narrower and do not have junctions and passing points. The way this has been designed means that it it impossible to get past any obstruction be it a delivery van or two larger parked vehicles parked opposite. This happens continually with oversized refuse trucks and fire appliances. Quite when and why the mandatory specification for maximum widths of both Fire and refuse vehicle was abandoned is beyond sense. Roads are the same width but cars and vans are now on average 12" wider than they were 20 years ago. But the risk is there. It matters not if the a patient is 20m away. It can now take up to 10 mins to get to that point. But it could be 200m away or withy blockages in an incident even further. The gaps in Junction road measure nearly a foot less then the minimum width of a fir appliance even with the bollard removed. Some idiot has declared that safe as they have measured face to face and not from the diagonal apex. The angle is such that vehicles have to manoeuvre and still may not fit. Now Ealing is to block Culmington Road and Elers road in Ealing which is the direct rout from Ealing Fire Station to South Ealing and Little Ealing and South end of Northfields. Given that it's very often Ealing Crews who arrive at North Brentford , Clayponds and Old Brentford first, this has ramifications way beyond the Ealing area. The rationale published in a missive to local residents in Ealing is based on a survey carried out by a funded anti car organisation in January. Just 125 invited residents participated, some of whom were members of activist groups. They are using the statistics of 70% etc. That's 70% of 125. In a district of over 10,000 people. Hardly a mandate for anything. |