A row has erupted over Southwark Council’s decision to restrict emergency vehicle access through the Dulwich Village Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) junction.
Local campaigners have accused the council of “playing with people’s lives” saying the redesign is “bound to delay” emergency responders.
But a Southwark Council report says the redesign will protect “vulnerable children and cyclists” by stopping civilian motorists abusing the emergency access.
While police, ambulances and fire engines will still have access via Court Lane and Dulwich Village, bollards will block access via Calton Avenue’s southbound arm.
Social media users also raised concerns that Southwark Council had failed to consult the London Fire Brigade (LFB). The Brigade has now confirmed it was consulted.
A spokesperson for anti-LTN campaign group One Dulwich said: “Southwark’s decision to block emergency vehicle access through Calton Avenue, the key east-west arm of the Dulwich Village junction, without undertaking any risk assessment into the impact this will have on the community, is playing with people’s lives.
“This is bound to cause delays and seconds count when ambulances, fire engines and police are racing to respond to 999 calls.”
But Southwark Council insists the changes are needed, highlighting 522 incidents where civilian motorists incorrectly used the emergency access between July and December 2023.
Moreover, the changes will only lengthen emergency vehicles’ journey distances by roughly 150 metres as they can still use Court Lane.
However, One Dulwich has said “seconds counts” in critical incidents and that “narrow” side streets off Court Lane are a poor route for emergency vehicles and susceptible to congestion.
Online campaign account Clean Air For All Dulwich also raised concerns that Southwark Council had failed to consult LFB on the changes after a freedom of information response suggested as such.
But this paper has since received confirmation that LFB was consulted by Southwark Council.
An LFB spokesperson said: “Regarding the FOI, the local authority did consult the Brigade. However, they didn’t initially contact the specific Southwark team, who responded on the FOI saying they hadn’t been contacted.”
London Ambulance Service (LAS) also appears to have been consulted at a meeting with Southwark Council on February 1.
According to a screenshot of a response from LAS, posted to X by Clean Air For All Dulwich, LAS ‘raised concerns’ about the changes but ‘recognised the need to balance this with protection other vulnerable road users’.
Since introducing Southwark’s most controversial LTN in June 2020, the council has flip-flopped on whether to allow emergency access.
Initially, Southwark Council banned emergency vehicle access but relented after pleas from LAS and allowed access through a two-way cycle lane.
But the latest redesign, approved last month, represents another u-turn in approach.
One Dulwich has long argued that non-compliance by civilian motorists is caused by a lack of signage and not the allowance of emergency access.
Inadequate signage has sometimes forced ambulances to perform three-point-turns as they don’t realise they can pass through, the group claims.
Responses to the consultation on the redesign, which closed in January, shows the depth of division over Dulwich Village traffic measures generally.
According to a council report, 48 per cent of responses commented on the wider traffic issues in the Dulwich area and not the junction redesign.
Plans to introduce a Controlled Parking Zone in Dulwich Village is considered controversial by many residents who say it is unnecessary.
A council spokesperson, said: “Our primary priority for the area is road safety, especially for elderly pedestrians and local school children who frequently use the junction on their way to and from school.
“The continuous traffic violations in the area poses a threat to road vulnerable users, prompting us to propose installing a bollard on one arm of the junction to prevent accidents or worse.
“This option was presented to emergency service colleagues, who acknowledge the importance of balancing emergency access with protecting road users. The Court Lane arm is still open to emergency services and is already well used by them.
“We will closely monitor the situation with representatives from the three main emergency services to address any issues, such as delayed response times, promptly.”