LTN barriers block ambulance reaching baby having a seizure
An ambulance was blocked by an LTN when travelling to a woman’s home after her baby had a seizure.
Video footage shows the vehicle heading towards the house and then having to divert around a corner because of traffic filters blocking its path.
Two paramedics can then be seen walking up the road carrying equipment with them, before arriving at the house a short time later.
Charli Panter, 34, rang 999 after her 10-month old daughter Nola became “burning hot” and started having a seizure in her arms.
‘Her lips turned blue’
Ms Panter told the Manchester Evening News: “She was shaking and rigid. My partner, Nick, called 999 as her lips turned blue and she was silent – we were terrified.”
She added: “I know seizures can be damaging so the longer it was going on the worse effects we feared.
“It never occurred to me we’d need to direct the ambulance on how to navigate around the planters. The paramedics said it was a nightmare getting to the house because of it.
“We have questioned how emergency services would know to travel around the estate [after the filters were installed] but we just never thought it might be to get to us.”
The call to the paramedics was made at 11.48am on New Year’s Eve, with an ambulance arriving at 12.01pm.
However, it is understood that the ambulance did not leave the scene with the patient until 12.42pm and arrived at Wythenshawe Hospital at 12.58pm.
At the hospital, it was determined that Nola, who has since fully recovered, had suffered from a febrile seizure.
In August, nine junctions on an estate in Withington in Greater Manchester were fitted with plant filters as part of a project to improve road safety.
However, residents are calling for the removal of the scheme with an online petition that has so far received more than 1,460 signatures.
‘Filters increase risk of accidents’
Gordon Thompson, a neighbour, said of the scheme: “Such accidents do not merit intervention.
“Forcing motorists to travel further and on to reduced routes because of filters will only increase the risk factor of more accidents. In terms of safety parameters, it’s a negative outcome.”
A spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust said that they had not received “any internal reports of concerns around this incident through our official reporting systems”.
They added: “However, communication and satellite navigation systems in Greater Manchester’s ambulances are currently being upgraded as part of a national programme, which will allow permanent road changes to be updated more frequently.”
‘Benefits outweigh inconvenience’
A spokesman for Manchester City Council said: “Since the trial changes were introduced in Withington in August 2023, there have been anecdotal reports of emergency services not being able to directly access streets as a result of traffic filters.
“Speaking directly with representatives in the emergency services during this trial, we have not been made aware of any serious concerns regarding their ability to access properties in the area.”
They added: “The council strongly believes that the benefits seen through its implementation far outweigh the temporary inconvenience during implementation.”
