Ambulance drivers across the capital have been fined thousands for parking non-emergency vehicles in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), despite rules exempting them from restrictions.
The issue has become increasingly problematic as more roads in the capital have become designated school streets, which ban drivers from parking at certain times of day.
Private ambulance providers working for NHS trusts have been particularly affected, with some companies paying substantial weekly sums in fines.
It comes after OnCue, an ambulance subcontractor whose 270 registered ambulances serve multiple NHS trusts, has paid as much as £1,000 a week in penalty charge notices issued by Transport for London and individual councils.
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OnCue, an ambulance subcontractor has paid as much as £1,000 a week in fines
PA
The company provides services for trusts, including Barts Health NHS Trust in East London. Peter Wakefield, a compliance officer at OnCue, told The Times that the company does not appeal against the penalties due to it requiring more effort than it's worth.
The company has reportedly also tried without success to have its fleet included in TfL's exemption from bus lane fines, which applies to vehicles sponsored by one NHS Trust.
Ambulance drivers claim they are forced to choose between being fined and dropping off patients at inconvenient locations.
"We pick up the patient, and then the ambulance will get a penalty charge notice for going down that road because it's not allowed at that time," Peter Wakefield from OnCue explained.
But the situation has created particular difficulties for vulnerable patients. "The ambulance would have to stop at the limit of that road and then call the patient and ask them to walk there. What happens if they're a wheelchair user? It's those sorts of instances councils don't consider," Wakefield warned.
London's low traffic streets are managed by local councils and TfL, creating a patchwork of different rules.
A recent Freedom of Information request revealed that 2,300 parking fines have been issued to private ambulance providers working for Barts Health NHS Trust for driving through LTNs and bus lanes, with less than two per cent of these fines successfully appealed against.
This uncertainty has led some ambulance drivers to take longer routes to avoid bus lanes and LTNs entirely.
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PAA non-emergency ambulance driver for Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital shared his experience of receiving a fine from Waltham Forest council for driving in a bus lane. The penalty was deducted directly from his monthly wage.
"I've now decided that I don't want to drive in any bus lane because I don't know if they will give me a ticket. It could be that area is free for me to drive through, but I don't know," he explained.
But a TfL spokesman responded to the situation: "We continue to monitor these arrangements to ensure that the scheme is working as intended."
The spokesman added that NHS Trusts could provide TfL with a list of subcontracted vehicles they use, which could potentially allow private ambulance providers to be included in exemption schemes.
LTNs use barriers, bollards, road signs, and planters to restrict cars, vans, and other vehicles from entering the zone while allowing pedestrians and cyclists through. LTN fines are usually around £130, with drivers able to halve this to £65 if it's paid early.
