One hospital worker said it is a ‘crazy situation’ when trying to leave the hospital along the road
Hospital staff have described traffic along a road where traffic can queue for up to 40 minutes at peak times as an “absolute nightmare”. Some staff at Hinchingbrooke Hospital and the Hinchingbrooke estate deal with traffic problems daily along Hinchingbrooke Park Road.
Especially during peak times, residents and staff never know how long it will take to get out of the road. One worker from Hinchingbrooke Hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, said she finds it an “absolute nightmare” to leave the hospital and get onto the road after leaving work at 3.30pm.
“I finish work and never know if I will have to queue down the road or not,” said the worker. She added: “It can be stressful working for the NHS and when you finish work you just want to drive home without sometimes having to sit in your car for 30 to 40 minutes to get to the bottom of the road.
“We very often have to queue to get out of the staff car park at the top of the hospital before we even join Hinchingbrooke Park Road. This is because the traffic is just backed up all the way down the road up to the hospital and everyone is trying to get out.”
The woman said traffic has been a problem for a “few years” and finds it a “crazy situation” as there is only one road in and out of the estate. She said: “This problem has been going on now for a few years and nothing ever seems to get done about it.
“The lights at the bottom of Hinchingbrooke Park Road don’t seem to help and the traffic just backs up. Once you get past the traffic lights the traffic seems to run easily.”
Another hospital worker, who also wished to not be named, has also experienced problems with the traffic. She said: “Generally, the traffic situation is bad. It can take ages to get out of the hospital car park as it backs up. It has been like this for years.”
Residents who live in the Hinchingbrooke estate are also frustrated with the continuous congestion problems. Keith Cooper said the road is “regularly gridlocked” with “massive delays getting in and out of the estate”.
He added: “We will regularly see blue light runs delayed or stuck. It’s only a matter of time before something catastrophic and avoidable happens as a consequence.
“Emergency services are stretched as it is and the impact of the delays isn’t just about the speed of getting help, but the number of calls a stretched ambulance service can make. If residents in Huntingdon are waiting too long for an ambulance to arrive, even if it isn’t critical, then the traffic problems in Hinchingbrooke are part of the problem.”
A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust said: “We have no evidence of this development having any impact on emergency vehicle response to date. Should that situation change, we would liaise with Huntingdonshire District Council directly to identify remedies.”
John Greenhalgh, chair of the Hinchingbrooke Residents’ Association, said he has repeatedly shared concerns about congestion. He said it is “scary to think what could happen” if an emergency vehicle is delayed getting through the road. He added: “Ambulances getting caught is a matter of public safety. Sometimes every second counts.
“It’s been like this for a number of years. You will see ambulances come down from the hospital. They get out and then there is a big HGV and they [ambulance] can’t get through. We are in a situation where it will only get worse with developments.”
Joe Corrall, also part of the residents association, said traffic along the road has got “noticeably worse in the past few years”. He added: “It’s rapidly reaching a point where at peak times any normal journey should expect a 20-minute or more delay just to leave or enter the estate.”
Joe said he is “continually amazed” at how often ambulances appear to get stuck on the road. He added: “When you’ve suffered an injury or are in dire medical care, the last thing you want to hear is that your ambulance is delayed.
“For such a vital service that literally saves lives, it beggars belief that it’s not top of the agenda to protect ambulance access and ensure that help gets where it’s needed fast. Rapid responders heading out to critical injuries know every minute counts.”
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust oversees Hinchingbrooke Hospital. As part of the hospital’s development, the trust is looking at ways to make travel to and from the site easier.
A trust spokesperson said: “As part of the redevelopment of Hinchingbrooke Hospital, we are taking the opportunity to make travel to, from and around the site easier. By improving traffic flow, particularly on Hinchingbrooke Park Road, we aim to create a more efficient and positive experience for everyone who uses our services.
“Our plans include creating a second access road onto Views Common Road, with the aim of improving flows in and out of the site and creating dedicated access for emergency vehicles. Initial feedback to these plans has been positive and we continue to work closely with local residents, parish councils, the planning authority and other local stakeholders including the Ambulance Trust.”
Cambridgeshire County Council is in charge of roads in the county. A council spokesperson said no issues have been raised about emergency services using the road.
However, the spokesperson added: “We’re aware of the congestion along Hinchingbrooke Park Road and understand the concerns raised. It is a busy area in peak periods due to the school and the hospital, so we carried out a study which included traffic modelling to help improve the traffic flow.
“As a result, at the end of last year, we changed the use of the lanes and the operation of the traffic lights. We also adjusted the signals at the railway station.
“We are monitoring these changes, which will help us evaluate the effectiveness of the changes over time. We are still in a period where drivers are adjusting to the new layout.”
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