Straying In To Bus Lane To Make Way For Emergency Vehicles?

[Waldo 96]

Should you move in to a bus lane, in order to make way for an emergency vehicle? Sheffield City Council say you could be fined if you do. They’ll review CCTV, but no guarantees.

 

Wonder what the emergency services themselves suggest?

Edited May 6, 2021 by Waldo

[RollingJ 2,040]

I'm not a driver, but if the emergency vehicle is on 'blues & two's' I would think you have a strong case against any penalties - but knowing SCC you might have a fight on your hands.

[Pyrotequila 403]

There are many daft road rules, for example if you move through a red light to let an emergency services vehicle through, and there's a red light camera, you will get fined as though you'd driven through.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

Let the emergency vehicle make the decisions.

Knee jerk reactions poses real danger for other road users.
Good practice is to make space for future maneuvers.

Hearing the siren in the distance and therefore trying to "second guess" the actions of the emergency vehicle and everybody else on the road is not a good idea.

 

Unfortunately rules on the use of bus lanes vary locally and are often combined with other restrictions.

 

If it is  a genuine case of "moving over" in the proximity of an emergency vehicle then that would be grounds for appeal if an automatic ticket was issued.

 

If in going into the bus lane you hit a bus/taxi/person/bike you are 100% at fault for any damages. Same applies to red lights/pedestrian crossings etc. 

 

Making the assumption "that I know better" is the reason we have so many rules. 

 

 

 

 

[RollingJ 2,040]

11 minutes ago, Annie Bynnol said:

Let the emergency vehicle make the decisions.

Knee jerk reactions poses real danger for other road users.
Good practice is to make space for future maneuvers.

Hearing the siren in the distance and therefore trying to "second guess" the actions of the emergency vehicle and everybody else on the road is not a good idea.

 

Unfortunately rules on the use of bus lanes vary locally and are often combined with other restrictions.

 

If it is  a genuine case of "moving over" in the proximity of an emergency vehicle then that would be grounds for appeal if an automatic ticket was issued.

 

If in going into the bus lane you hit a bus/taxi/person/bike you are 100% at fault for any damages. Same applies to red lights/pedestrian crossings etc. 

 

Making the assumption "that I know better" is the reason we have so many rules. 

 

 

 

 

How does the emergency vehicle make the decision (for you)?

 

I would imagine the OP could see the emergency vehicle in his rear view mirror, and assess the result of moving into an 'empty' bus lane.

 

Obviously,  if your manoeuvre is reckless, then you  are at fault, but if it is a calculated/assessed safe move, then the ticket should be revoked.

 

Some 'rules' can cause more disruption than no rules.

Edited May 6, 2021 by RollingJ

[Padders 2,866]

1 hour ago, Waldo said:

Should you move in to a bus lane, in order to make way for an emergency vehicle? Sheffield City Council say you could be fined if you do. They’ll review CCTV, but no guarantees.

 

Wonder what the emergency services themselves suggest?

The bus lane should be clear of traffic, I would imagine that emergency vehicles would use the bus lane, so no need to move over.

[whiteowl 54]

5 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

How does the emergency vehicle make the decision (for you)?

 

I would imagine the OP could see the emergency vehicle in his rear view mirror, and assess the result of moving into an 'empty' bus lane.

 

Obviously,  if your manoeuvre is reckless, then you  are at fault, but if it is a calculated/assessed safe move, then the ticket should be revoked.

 

Some 'rules' can cause more disruption than no rules.

To be fair, if it's an empty bus lane then chances are the emergency vehicle will be going down it already.

 

Otherwise, slow or stop and allow the vehicle to undertake you in the lane.

[Waldo 96]

Yeah, that's a good point!

 

A more likely scenario would be moving through a red light, to allow an emergency vehicle to pass. Doing so could well result in a fine.

 

I think in such a case, I'd drive through (safely), and challenge any ticket issued. If I still had to pay (i.e. lost my appeal) I'd make it clear that I wouldn't be taking any evasive action for emergency vehicles ever again, for fear of being penalised by idiots for doing so.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Waldo

[RollingJ 2,040]

17 minutes ago, whiteowl said:

To be fair, if it's an empty bus lane then chances are the emergency vehicle will be going down it already.

 

Otherwise, slow or stop and allow the vehicle to undertake you in the lane.

Good point, and no argument.

19 minutes ago, Padders said:

The bus lane should be clear of traffic, I would imagine that emergency vehicles would use the bus lane, so no need to move over.

Sorry - missed that, but again, I agree.

[El Cid 220]

Its not always easy to judge what the emergency vehicle is doing, but moving out of its way will often mean an illegal manouver such as mounting the pavement.

Some drivers are really poor and stop too quickly, traffic needs to move.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

56 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

How does the emergency vehicle make the decision (for you)?

 

I would imagine the OP could see the emergency vehicle in his rear view mirror, and assess the result of moving into an 'empty' bus lane.

 

Obviously,  if your manoeuvre is reckless, then you  are at fault, but if it is a calculated/assessed safe move, then the ticket should be revoked.

 

Some 'rules' can cause more disruption than no rules.

The vast majority of road vehicle drivers have limited and dated skills and other road users should not be expected to behave predictably.

The emergency vehicle driver is regularly trained and uptodate for the very scenario discussed.

Their training is based on getting to the scene safely-they are not immune from the law.

Getting their 5 minutes late is better than not getting there.

They have to identify and respond to hazards.

A major hazard is the behaviour of  all road users in response to these situation, it is erratic and unpredictable. 

Being trained means taking the best option from what they can see ahead, their experience of the route and in most cases they can see further than car drivers. 

[Waldo 96]

16 minutes ago, El Cid said:

Its not always easy to judge what the emergency vehicle is doing, but moving out of its way will often mean an illegal manouver such as mounting the pavement.

Some drivers are really poor and stop too quickly, traffic needs to move.

You can understand this, people panic and first instinct maybe to slow down or stop.

 

My feeling is that the main thing is to stay calm and don’t do anything impulsive or drastic, just stay calm and observe your surroundings and calculate most appropriate course of action etc.