Ambulance on emergency call blocked by new temporary cycle lane

Critics say fundamental rethink may be needed to ensure new routes do not result in traffic chaos

Ambulance blocked by temporary cycle lane in Sheffield (Sheffield Online / Screengrab)

Temporary cycle lanes have been hailed as a cheap and effective means of keeping cities moving and improving health during the coronavirus pandemic.

But a new installation in Sheffield has had the opposite effect, with images showing it blocking an ambulance on an emergency call.

Paramedics had to leave their vehicle to shift bollards, barriers and cones obstructing them in the South Yorkshire city.

Critics say a fundamental rethink may be needed to ensure the new lanes do not result in traffic chaos.

“I’m all for cycling but some thought needs to go into this,” said Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Sheffield City Council.

Referring to the specific scheme in the Shalesmoor area, he added: “Normally there’s two lanes of traffic with a cycle lane and if an ambulance comes through then traffic can just move to the left … but with the cones that are there now it is near-impossible for an ambulance to go past.

“This is a problem that someone from the council’s highway department should have foreseen, so what I’m saying is, time for a rethink.”

And, speaking to the Yorkshire Live website, he added: “You can trial anything. You can trial putting your hand in a fire but eventually you’re going to want to pull it out. The council have trialled this cycle lane now and it is not working.”

But Bob Johnson, the local authority’s cabinet member for transport and sustainability, said: “Providing the right infrastructure is absolutely essential to changing our habits and becoming more sustainable in how we travel."

He added: "The council has received a lot of requests to pedestrianise more areas of our city, and in creating a low–traffic neighbourhood, we will open up a space for residents to safely walk and cycle without traffic.”

The controversy comes amid growing calls across the UK to make two-wheel travel safer so more people can avoid public transport.

Figures released by Sport England last month showed the number of people cycling had almost doubled during lockdown, while bike shops are reporting record numbers of sales.