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By Paula Planelles Manzanaro
Olympics organisers are facing criticism and are being accused of risking patients’ health after rejecting a request by ambulances to use the “Games Lanes”. These roads, which represent a third of the Olympic Route Network (ORN), have been introduced to ensure that people involved in the event, such as athletes, officials, journalists or sponsors can travel quickly to the Games.
The request for access to the “Games Lanes” made by NHS London, the capital’s strategic health authority, has been rejected by Transport for London (TfL) and the London Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG). Ambulances will be allowed to use these roads exclusively when they have their blue lights on. However, critics say that some urgent cases cannot be justified with the use of blue lights, which can only be used in a genuine emergency. In addition, those drivers who can use them usually need a special training, according to a report that in The Observer.
Whereas the “Games Lanes” will be completely open to VIPs, NHS patients could be left stranded in ambulances in traffic jams. These roads will be open to sponsors, such as Coca-Cola or Macdonald’s. For example, BMW has donated 4,000 3 and 5 series cars to be driven during the Games, according to the report in The Observer.
Levi Bevington of Medical Services a company that specialises in patient transportation said:
“I really can’t see how elderly sick people who live here aren’t as important. From a healthcare side of things I think it is crazy that they are not offering an exemption”.
Meanwhile, the Imperial College healthcare trust, whose four London hospitals will be particularly affected by the Olympics, submitted an appeal to use the Olympic Route Network.
TfL responded: "There is significant demand from the police, utilities and others to use the Games lanes for critical operational reasons which fall short of actual emergencies. To give blanket approval to all these would undermine the performance of the whole Olympic Route Network and Paralympic Route Network and in particular jeopardise the journey time commitments in the host city contract."
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