WATCH: Serious concerns are also being raised tonight about the South Fraser Perimeter Road. The turnaround points on the road are few and far between. John Daly explains why that’s problematic for emergency crews and what can be done.
The 37 kilometre South Fraser Perimeter Road may benefit commuters who have travelled through through Delta since it opened in 2013, but paramedics say its design costs them precious time when attending to the scene of an accident.
READ MORE: Truck rollover at South Fraser onramp shuts down traffic
“It may increase it two to three minutes until we get to the next intersection. Time is of the essence when you’re going to an emergency,” says James Tolle with the Ambulance Paramedics of BC.
There are stretches as long as six kilometres without an intersection, and the entire road has a full median in place to prevent head-on collisions. And while there are emergency turnabouts, Tolle says that they’re too dangerous to use.
“Highway 1 has that green space …that allows our members to stop and make sure it’s safe both ways before we turn into the traffic. We don’t want to make it unsafe for B.C. drivers or our paramedics,” he says.
In a statement, the Ministry of Transportation said they’ll meet with BC Ambulance discuss concerns raised by paramedics and to find out specifically where they see a need for more turnaround and pullout facilities. They also said the BC Ambulance Service was consulted prior to construction, and were part of a committee that held regular meetings during design and construction to review emergency service infrastructure.
The NDP says the government didn’t do their due diligence.
“We spent over a billion dollars on the South Fraser, and there’s clearly there’s a serious lack of planning for emergency vehicles,” said New Westminster MLA Judy Darcy, the party’s health critic.
– With files from John Daly
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