Why parked vehicles are the cause
Ambulances have similar, if not slightly larger, width dimensions to cars. In Public Policy Lab’s measurements of 27 Malé streets, parked vehicles occupied 43.5% of drivable road width, leaving 11 of the 27 roads too narrow for a car – or an ambulance – to pass safely.
The fix requires no construction
With street parking cleared, ambulances would be able to reach every doorstep. The road width already exists; it is occupied by parked vehicles rather than unavailable. This is one of the clearest cases where a policy change – managing street parking – directly changes emergency response.
Key facts
- Ambulances cannot fit safely through around 41% of the Malé roads surveyed by Public Policy Lab.
- With street parking cleared, ambulances could reach every doorstep on the streets measured.
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