A parked car is a common sight - but also a potential problem. As traffic calming measures steal precious inches in Vancouver (narrowing streets and limiting curbs) drivers find themselves trying to navigate fewer, and smaller, spaces. Corners tighten; routes shrink; and tires venture dangerously outside the white lines, leaving little room to maneuver... especially for emergency personnel.
Traffic calming deliberately takes space away from established routes. The intention is to provide safer roadways. However, these methods leave emergency vehicles vulnerable to difficult situations. The FHWA says a typical parallel parking lane is approximately 8-feet wide, while the actual vehicle inside it occupies 7-feet. Pair this with an average 6–8 feet of roadway width claimed by chokers and bulb-outs, while curb extensions can narrow a street by 12–16 feet. Trying to navigate the reduced proportions undermines the efforts of police and fire personnel.
The FHWA recommends 12 feet for emergency vehicle passage and 14 feet at the narrowest section of roadway - and, yet, traffic calming can make this an impossibility. As passenger cars try to claim the few available parking spaces, trucks and ambulances are left with little room to function. Cars extend too far onto the street, forced into awkward positions due to a lack of proper space; and the result is delayed responses and time-consuming re-routing.
The question isn't whether parking is convenient. It's instead whether the lack of it is interfering with emergency services - and the answer is yes.
Sources
Federal Highway Administration — Traffic Calming ePrimer, Module 3
Federal Highway Administration — Traffic Calming ePrimer, Module 5: Emergency Services
City of Vancouver — Slow Streets Traffic Calming Upgrades Supplemental Design Guide
Federal Highway Administration — Road Diet Informational Guide
Traffic Calming Effects In East Vancouver
When Parking Becomes an Emergency-Access Problem In Vancouver
