Emergency Vehicles and Bus Lanes

Stigy

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

So what do you do to go on a blue light run?

I work closely with the BTP in my current job role, and have a designated coordinator who, on occasion, has to use a vehicle other than a train.

There was an edit to the post I made above, not sure if you realised, as I think it's quite important so I dont just look like a wannabe hehe.

maninthestreet

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

So what do you do to go on a blue light run?

Perhaps he's a film cameraman for those fly-on-the-wall tv shows like Traffic Cops or Road Wars??

Sgt_Pepper_2

maninthestreet wrote: »

Perhaps he's a film cameraman for those fly-on-the-wall tv shows like Traffic Cops or Road Wars??

I don't think so, he's a ticket inspector.

Fares please, move along the train and step away from those doors.

Stigy

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

I don't think so, he's a ticket inspector.

Fares please, move along the train and step away from those doors.

Erm, I'm actually not a Ticket Inspector...:rotfl:

Out of curiosity, what do you do for a living?

maxheadroom

Several possibilities

1. The when the TRO (traffic regulation order) was drawn up to create the bus lane the exemption for emergency vehicles was omitted thus giving the ambulance no more right to go in the bus lane than other motorists. (Although less likely to be enforced).

2. Private ambulance company who did not want the hassle of dealing with tickets, or feared they would not get away with claiming exemptions (usually those for NHS are cancelled on sight of blue lights and or production of incident number in response to ticket)

3. Driver judged this to be the safest thing to do at the time. I am aways nervous when passing on the nearside for reasons alluded to above. - risk balance of cancelling the warning devices to make progress safer. as people just dont pay attention.

FWIW in the past when confronted by ambulance and camera enforced bus lane i stayed in the normal lane - I have no chance of claiming exemptions- they do.

I am blue light user with an NHS trust

adriandilly

I'd just like to point out that no one ever gets done for driving in our bus lane, there are no cameras (bus lane specific) and the police don't care.. (or maybe that's "are nowhere to be seen"). When I asked the original question I didn't even consider fines or the legality of it

Sgt_Pepper_2

Thing is max you cancel the blues and lose what little protection they give you.

rev_henry

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

Thing is max you cancel the blues and lose what little protection they give you.

You don't need to use blues and twos to claim exemptions to the road traffic act as an ambulance (or police car or whatever).

amboboy

rev_henry wrote: »

You don't need to use blues and twos to claim exemptions to the road traffic act as an ambulance (or police car or whatever).

Maybe not in law...but, my service policy is that you must use warning lights when on an emergency and they effectively say use sirens too, unless you can justify not using them!

Sgt_Pepper_2

amboboy wrote: »

Maybe not in law...but, my service policy is that you must use warning lights when on an emergency and they effectively say use sirens too, unless you can justify not using them!

Nice of you to join us just to tell us that.