Traffic charge 'threatens 999 calls'

Mayor Ken Livingstone's traffic congestion charges will put lives at risk by causing chaos on outer London routes, the emergency services have warned.

Under the scheme - due to be launched in 2003 - thousands of motorists are expected to avoid central areas and flood on to surrounding roads to dodge the £5 charge.

But police and ambulance authorities fear that the extra traffic could delay emergency vehicles.

An internal Metropolitan Police report reveals that response times outside the zone will suffer - even though it admits they may improve inside the zone where traffic falls.

The report by the Metropolitan Police Authority's Co-ordination and Urgency Committee was today backed by the RAC Foundation which says that lives will " undoubtedly" be put at risk with blue light patrols trapped on key routes.

They say that the problem will be particularly bad unless bus, Tube and train services are improved sufficiently to lure drivers off roads.

"If proper public transport alternatives are not in place when charging starts, there will be much worse congestion on routes outside the immediate charging area," said the foundation's Kevin Delaney, a former Met officer.

"Police, ambulance and fire crews will all get there but much later thanks to dense traffic on vital routes. People's lives will be endangered in worst-case scenarios."

Angie Bray, the GLA's Conservative spokeswoman, said: "If patrols cannot get through as quickly because roads outside the charging zone are blocked, it could well become a matter of life and death."

The Ambulance Service today repeated its concerns that the build up of traffic would delay emergency crews. "We might not be able to get to emergency calls as quickly as we would like to," a spokesman said. "It could impact on life-saving and applies to all emergency services."

Ambulance chiefs are raising their fears over congestion charging with Transport for London.

The London Fire Brigade said it was also studying the proposals to ensure there would be "no adverse effect" on it reaching emergencies.

The Mayor's office, however, insisted emergency response times across London would improve because traffic levels would fall as fewer cars tried to enter the capital.

TfL said it was working closely with emergency services to ensure it met their requirements.

Mr Livingstone is to decide in February whether he will go ahead with the plan or subject it to a public inquiry.

Trivial calls 'put lives at risk'