'It's an absolute mess' - Watch the moment ambulance struggles to make its way through Chichester cycle lane traffic

“If an ambulance can’t get through the town with its blues on, something needs to change.”
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Those were the words of a Chichester motorist, whose fiancée filmed the moment an ambulance appeared to struggle to make its way through traffic caused by Chichester’s pop-up cycle lanes over the weekend.

The temporary cycle lanes from Spitalfield Lane to the railway station have proved contentious for residents, with a petition set up urging the county council to remove the ‘complicated and confusing’ bollards.

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Kain Lawrence was driving through the city when he spotted fellow motorists struggling to manoeuvre out of the way of an ambulance, travelling from the university to the Northgate Gyratory.

The temporary cycle lanes from Spitalfield Lane to the railway station have proved contentious for residentsThe temporary cycle lanes from Spitalfield Lane to the railway station have proved contentious for residents
The temporary cycle lanes from Spitalfield Lane to the railway station have proved contentious for residents

Kain said the bollards made life difficult for the ambulance and urged the council to take action.

He said: “It just doesn’t work. Even if they don’t want to admit their mistake, the council can say, it’s not worked how we’ve wanted it but let’s make it better.

“It’s a horrific thing to happen to an ambulance.

“It’s an absolute mess. I was impressed that the cars managed to get out the way so quickly. There’s just nowhere for them to get easily.

Kain Lawrence with his son Hudson and fiancée Nat, who filmed the moment an ambulance struggled to make it way through traffic caused by Chichester’s pop-up cycle lane over the weekendKain Lawrence with his son Hudson and fiancée Nat, who filmed the moment an ambulance struggled to make it way through traffic caused by Chichester’s pop-up cycle lane over the weekend
Kain Lawrence with his son Hudson and fiancée Nat, who filmed the moment an ambulance struggled to make it way through traffic caused by Chichester’s pop-up cycle lane over the weekend
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“If you’re going to have a cycle lane, paint it on the ground so the ambulance can at least get through. The bollards just make it so much worse for the emergency services."

West Sussex County Council said it is holding weekly meetings with the ambulance, police and fire and rescue services to ‘discuss any issues they may have’ with the cycle lanes and ‘look at where any improvements need to be made’.

A spokesperson said: “Naturally, we would be concerned if a pop-up cycleway caused an unacceptable delay for the emergency services but it appears cars were able to move out of the way and allow the ambulance through.”

Read More
West Sussex pop-up cycle routes ‘may be removed if they don’t work’

A spokesperson said: “We are aware there are times when there is traffic build around the cycle lanes and would like to thank drivers for doing everything they can to help ambulances progress.”

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Kain, who works at a salon in Chichester, said it is often taking him more than half an hour to travel between his home in Tangmere and the city centre.

He also claimed that the traffic delays are having an adverse affect on his business.

"It's affecting everyone’s lives in different ways [and] it’s starting to affect my business as people are running late for their appointments," he said.

"Everyone wants cycle lanes but wants them to work right and not cause massive traffic delays.

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"I find the cycle lane is confusing to use. As a motorist, I find myself having to look around so much as I don’t know where cyclists are going to come from."

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