Council expands paramedics’ access to dedicated bus lanes
York Regional Council has amended a bylaw that paves the way for the immediate expansion of Paramedic Services’ vehicles using York Region’s Bus Rapid Transit Network’s dedicated bus lanes, also called ‘rapidways.’
The move will help maintain response times for all calls, mitigate delays and support safer, more efficient emergency response, according to York Region. Previously, Paramedic Services’ vehicles were allowed to use rapidways only when responding with both lights and sirens for high-priority incidents.
Meanwhile, Council received a report that found Paramedic Services continue to exceed target response times in life-threatening emergencies. Their response times exceeded nearly all targets in 2024.
“York Region Paramedic Services continues to deliver timely, dependable emergency care by implementing innovative strategies to improve efficiency and safety,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe. “By expanding rapidways access, we are leveraging existing infrastructure to reduce delays and maintain high standards of care for our growing communities”
According to the report, paramedics responded to 95,511 incidents in 2024 – a year-over-year increase of 3.3 per cent. Incidents are expected to continue to increase with a growing population, the Region reports.
Paramedic Services managed average hospital transfer of care times below a 30-minute target with support from hospitals and the provincial Dedicated Offload Nurse Program. Also, Paramedic Services exceeded six of seven response time targets, achieving average response time for the most severe and life-threatening cases (sudden cardiac arrest or absence of breathing) of five minutes and 40 seconds, while least urgent cases (minor ailments or general pain) of 12 minutes and six seconds
Paramedic Services narrowly missed non-life-threatening response time average by one per cent, an “expected outcome” of the new Medical Priority Dispatch System launched in November 2024, according to the Region. The dispatch system prioritizes and more effectively sends emergency services to life-threatening patients using lights and sirens. That results in ‘clinically safe patients’ experiencing longer wait times for non-urgent calls. Since the introduction of this system, use of lights and sirens has dropped from 70 per cent to 47, reducing the risk of collisions, improving road safety for paramedics and the public during emergency responses, the Region notes.
“The Medical Priority Dispatch System is already delivering positive results, helping us prioritize the most critical patients while improving overall efficiency,” said City of Vaughan Regional Councillor Gino Rosati, chair of Community and Health Services. “Combined with expanded rapidways access, these changes enable York Region Paramedic Services to meet growing demand and continue providing exceptional care.”