Peoria city officials want to quell rumors that emergency response vehicles are having a tough time getting through the new Main and University intersection.
The city and Advanced Medical Transport Wednesday released preliminary data concerning ambulance response times. The data shows it takes ambulances about six seconds longer to get through the reconstructed intersection.
Erik Bush is the Vice President of Strategy and Compliance with AMT. He says ambulance vehicles are taking about 24 seconds to get through the area.
“So, we’re at a point when we’re looking at that going, you know, it’s really not that different. 90% of the time, our ambulances are getting all the way through and out of that intersection in 30 seconds or less,” said Bush.
Bush says the intersection has not impacted overall response times to those living in the first and second council districts. Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis says this shows the intersection is not negatively impacting safety.
“We do have a lot of concern about public safety and our ability to respond quickly, and clearly the data shows that our citizens are not in any danger because of the design of this intersection,” said Ardis.
City officials say early data shows that the reconstruction of Main and University has helped reduce traffic in the area close to its goal of 35%. There’s also been a 60% increase in pedestrian use. Complete data is expected next year.