pulling into bus lane to let police car pass

Joe_Horner

Frankly, for fire or ambulance on a blue light run, I'd be happy to take a fine if it meant letting them through because there's a very high chance that someone's life is at risk. Police not so much because a lot of the time they'll be headed to some domestic or shop-lifting or the local donut stand*

As others have pointed out, though, anything to clear their way has to be done with extreme caution to avoid either holding them up more or, worse, actually hitting them. Their drivers are making decisions far quicker than most of us need to on the road so a sudden and unsignalled move to clear their path could be catastrophic!





* kidding about the donuts but the point is that most police emergencies don't involve risk to life

leosayer

It is tricky because we all want to do what we can to help the emergency services get where they are going as quickly as possible and when you are in the way of a vehicle with headlights flashing, blue lights flashing and sirens going, you can easily feel intimidated into doing whatever it takes to let them past.

I one got caught in lane 2 when I couldn't move back to lane 1 after overtaking because of double white lines to my left. A police car then came up fast behind me and sat close to my rear bumper.

He could have overtaken (ie. undertaken) me in lane 1 but instead the passenger gesticulated that I should move into lane 1, so I did.

My attitude is that I'll try and anticipate their route and do what I can within the law to let them past as easily as possible.

missile

The advice is pull over only if safe to do so. No need to pull over, if bus lane is empty the police car can use it.

He could have overtaken (i.e. undertaken) me in lane 1 but instead the passenger gesticulated that I should move into lane 1, so I did.

Police officers are not the brightest. Whatever the emergency might be, they ought not tailgate. That is dangerous driving and you might want to complain to the Chief Constable

Jamie_Carter

Richard53 wrote: »

I the case I read about, the police advised that a driver should not break the law to allow an emergency vehicle to pass. That seems fairly clear to me. Not sensible, but clear.

That is correct. Many people will edge over the line at red traffic lights to give room for an emergency vehicle. But they can still be prosecuted for breaking the law. On the other hand the driver of the emergency vehicle should not bully other drivers into breaking the law. If there is no way to get past at red traffic lights, then they should switch the sirens off (not the blues), and wait.

What other drivers should do is make as much room as possible and stop (without breaking the law). But people do need to watch what other vehicles are doing, and move the same way as them.

Jamie_Carter

GAZ237 wrote: »

Same has happened at traffic lights. Where a car has moved forward to let an emergency vehicle get past and only just gone across the white line.
I would never get out of the way now unless it was 100% legally.

The law really can be an !!! sometimes.

And that is what you are supposed to do.

neilmcl

leosayer wrote: »

My attitude is that I'll try and anticipate their route and do what I can within the law to let them past as easily as possible.

That's the last thing you should do. The drivers would/should have worked out a suitable route past you and if one didn't exist will, as they did in your case, direct you. Trying to "anticipate" what an emergency vehicle will do can be just as dangerous as panicking.

Jamie_Carter

interstellaflyer wrote: »

Try telling the Ambulance, paramedics, Fire engine drivers and police car drivers that, I work in an area of Oxford that has bus lanes and I've yet to see emergency vehicles use the bus lanes, they seem to prefer people moving over for them, always found this very odd as you would think they would use the empty bus lane, maybe it's because if they get caught behind a bus they've got nowhere to go.

Well that is what they are trained to do. If they aren't using the bus lane, then it is most likely due to one or two vehicles that have blocked it.

neilmcl

missile wrote: »

The advice is pull over only if safe to do so. No need to pull over, if bus lane is empty the police car can use it.

Police officers are not the brightest. Whatever the emergency might be, they ought not tailgate. That is dangerous driving and you might want to complain to the Chief Constable

What a stupid statement to make. Most emergency drivers will have had extensive driving training before being allowed behind the wheel.

neilmcl

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

On the other hand the driver of the emergency vehicle should not bully other drivers into breaking the law. If there is no way to get past at red traffic lights, then they should switch the sirens off (not the blues), and wait.

Or in the case of a police officer, give directions to the driver to move.

Jamie_Carter

bluenoseam wrote: »

Bearing in mind on a siren run it's significantly safer (and quicker) to travel in as direct a fashion as possible, which would often negate going into a bus lane. (More so given how we all know bus drivers are capable of driving like they own the road anyway) I believe the advice is actually to pull over if it's safe & legal to do so, appeal anyway though given you were getting out the way of an emergency response vehicle!

They would use which ever lane is clearest. If the bus lane is full of busses, then that may not be the best one to use. But in most circumstances it would be.

I should also mention (for the sake of the OP) that I was once told by someone from TFL that if you have to move into the bus lane to go around an obstruction, then you are ok as long as you are not in it for more than 12 metres. So if they just pulled into the bus lane and stopped, and then moves back out of it again, then they should be ok.