Sat Nav blamed for bumpy ambulance ride (From Bucks Free Press)
Send your news, photos and videos by texting bucksfreepress to 80360 or email
Sat Nav blamed for bumpy ambulance ride from Lane End
3:40pm Wednesday 15th August 2012 in News By Lawrence Dunhill
The bottom of Bullocks Farm Lane. Image from Google Maps
A RETIRED headteacher says Sat Nav devices are sending ambulance drivers down a narrow lane which is "avoided like the plague" by villagers.
Andrew MacTavish displaced his hip while giving a talk at a primary school in Lane End last month and needed an ambulance to take him to Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
The ex-John Hampden Grammar School head said the ambulance took the route of Bullocks Farm Lane, which is "incredibly narrow" with high hedges on either side.
Though this is the shortest route to the A40, Mr MacTavish says it is quicker to drive west out of Lane End and take Bolter End Lane, which is a bigger road.
He added: "It wasn’t life-threatening but I was in agony and it’s a very bumpy ride. The ambulance crew was brilliant but by going that route you’re going to lose about ten minutes.
"If you’re going to Stoke that’s adding precious time to the journey. And if you meet someone down there someone has to go backwards and that’s going to add more time.
"Another lady I spoke to in the post office was taken down there with a hernia."
James Keating-Wilkes, spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service [SCAS], said the ambulance Sat Navs are always programmed to find the fastest route.
But he added: "Obviously the Sat Nav is useful the majority of the time but there are incidents like this where very local knowledge can find short cuts.
"Sat Navs do need to improve in the longer term and advances in technology will hopefully mean they can pick up any quicker routes.
"If he [Mr MacTavish] would like to email in we can pass this on to our control room."
He said the summer holidays often see paramedics covering areas they are not so familiar with, so on another occasion the driver may have had more local knowledge.
Comments(19)
motco
says...
4:57pm Wed 15 Aug 12
gotanybiscuits?
says...
7:58pm Wed 15 Aug 12
motco wrote:erm,.... who said that, motco?
Don't blame satellite navigation for BCC's poor road maintenance.
.
Bullocks Farm Lane is a crazy choice for anybody wanting to get somewhere quickly.
Bolter End Lane is faster & safer.
Their spokesman has conceded as much.
.
But I agree that all roads out of Lane End are in a shocking state of adequacy.
mumbles26
says...
10:04pm Wed 15 Aug 12
Majik wrote:lol
"displaced his hip while giving a talk at a primary school"
What?! I'm far more interested to learn how this happened than about a bumpy road!
I was thinking exactly that myself.
Anyway, I hope Mr McTavish is ok
mumbles26
says...
10:04pm Wed 15 Aug 12
Majik wrote:lol
"displaced his hip while giving a talk at a primary school"
What?! I'm far more interested to learn how this happened than about a bumpy road!
I was thinking exactly that myself.
Anyway, I hope Mr McTavish is ok
Mr Totterdge Hill
says...
11:20pm Wed 15 Aug 12
Welwyn Dowd
says...
7:50am Thu 16 Aug 12
Plus ça change...
says...
11:34am Thu 16 Aug 12
Either a road is a road or it's not a road...
gotanybiscuits?
says...
1:29pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Plus ça change... wrote:Agreed, the road surface should be fit for purpose.
But isn't the real issue that the road surface should be made good? Either a road is a road or it's not a road...
.
But surely the point of this 'news item' is the decision to use an unsuitable road (selected by the SatNav), as it looked the most direct route.
miccles
says...
1:35pm Thu 16 Aug 12
gotanybiscuits? wrote:"But surely the point of this 'news item' is the decision to use an unsuitable road (selected by the SatNav), as it looked the most direct route.”
Plus ça change... wrote:Agreed, the road surface should be fit for purpose.
But isn't the real issue that the road surface should be made good? Either a road is a road or it's not a road...
.
But surely the point of this 'news item' is the decision to use an unsuitable road (selected by the SatNav), as it looked the most direct route.
Surely a Sat Nav would find the nearest main road route, rather than this track? I find this story hard to believe in some way.
Why did SCAS let all their local people go on holiday all at the same time?
Plus ça change...
says...
4:17pm Thu 16 Aug 12
bucksboy99
says...
4:21pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Plus ça change...
says...
4:23pm Thu 16 Aug 12
motco wrote:Yup.
Don't blame satellite navigation for BCC's poor road maintenance.
It's more 'SurfaceNaff' than 'SatNav'...
Plus ça change...
says...
4:25pm Thu 16 Aug 12
gotanybiscuits? wrote:It's not what the point of the news item is that matters.
Plus ça change... wrote:Agreed, the road surface should be fit for purpose.
But isn't the real issue that the road surface should be made good? Either a road is a road or it's not a road...
.
But surely the point of this 'news item' is the decision to use an unsuitable road (selected by the SatNav), as it looked the most direct route.
It's what the probem is.
Plus ça change...
says...
4:27pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Yorkshiretyke1
says...
6:23pm Thu 16 Aug 12
demoness the second
says...
9:32pm Thu 16 Aug 12
bucksboy99 wrote:I am sure that South Central ambulances who have a base in High Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville would disagree with that remark :))
there is no such thing as local ambulance service i have had 2 crews out in last 12 months one came from milton keynes and one from kiddlington so these people rely on Sat Navs
kerlmann
says...
5:48pm Mon 20 Aug 12
kerlmann
says...
5:48pm Mon 20 Aug 12
Majik says...
4:37pm Wed 15 Aug 12
What?! I'm far more interested to learn how this happened than about a bumpy road!