Fined for letting ambulance go.
Discussion
As above. Me and my girlfriend were going somewhere inside Birmingham town. An ambulance showed up behind with his lights on so me and the car in front of me pulled into the bus lane to let him go. A week later the ticket comes with me driving in the bus lane the other guy right in front of me. Already paid for it, but can I contest it somehow? I have no proof of it, other than my girlfriends statement and of course mine. Can I get the fine back or just let it go?
Thanks
Thanks
exelero said:
As above. Me and my girlfriend were going somewhere inside Birmingham town. An ambulance showed up behind with his lights on so me and the car in front of me pulled into the bus lane to let him go. A week later the ticket comes with me driving in the bus lane the other guy right in front of me. Already paid for it, but can I contest it somehow? I have no proof of it, other than my girlfriends statement and of course mine. Can I get the fine back or just let it go?
Thanks
I believe once you have paid it you can't appeal. Thanks
speedking31 said:
The clock stops while the appeal is resolved.
Why wasn't the ambulance using the Bus Lane?
In my area (Worcester) emergency vehicles tend to stick to the main lanes and vehicles move into the bus lane.Why wasn't the ambulance using the Bus Lane?
We don't have bus lane scameras.
It's only a guess but I imagine they prefer to pass on the right in case anyone panics and either shuts them off or moves over into them.
A driver’s natural instinct when blue lights are coming up behind is to brake and cut in to the kerb on the left. It’s a dangerous game to go hurtling up what might seem to be the line of least resistance up the inside of cars through a seemingly empty bus lane… until a vehicle, unsighted, tries to do the right thing and turn suddenly into the bus lane in front of you.
I dislike using bus lanes. I was trained to overtake on the right - that’s what everybody naturally expects, and when driving on blue lights and seeing the cars “parting the waves” (or more often, not) in front of you it’s obviously safer, if slightly slower, to wait while each vehicle clocks you and moves over to the left.
Sometimes a car will stop suddenly and just wait in the normal driving lane, and there may be a few cars who will follow suit and just wait there. Everything else being equal, I’d still rather claim the offside and go past on the right.
On occasions I’ll use a bus lane - normally when it’s rush hour and the normal lanes are chocka in both directions. Common sense in this situation is to use the open lane - but I’ll do so slowly, with caution and fully expecting each and every car to suddenly swerve in front of me (or indeed into the side of me) as I go past.
I dislike using bus lanes. I was trained to overtake on the right - that’s what everybody naturally expects, and when driving on blue lights and seeing the cars “parting the waves” (or more often, not) in front of you it’s obviously safer, if slightly slower, to wait while each vehicle clocks you and moves over to the left.
Sometimes a car will stop suddenly and just wait in the normal driving lane, and there may be a few cars who will follow suit and just wait there. Everything else being equal, I’d still rather claim the offside and go past on the right.
On occasions I’ll use a bus lane - normally when it’s rush hour and the normal lanes are chocka in both directions. Common sense in this situation is to use the open lane - but I’ll do so slowly, with caution and fully expecting each and every car to suddenly swerve in front of me (or indeed into the side of me) as I go past.
speedking31 said:
The clock stops while the appeal is resolved.
Why wasn't the ambulance using the Bus Lane?
Why wasn't the ambulance using the Bus Lane?
Donbot said:
Don't move unless instructed by the police. I think they need to block traffic to make sure it is safe.
If you break traffic laws because you are concerned someone will die then that is your problem.
yep unfortunately if you break the law driving to allow a blue light through you are fully prosecutable If you break traffic laws because you are concerned someone will die then that is your problem.
daft but there it is
A bit late for you now OP but when this happened to me, I phoned the council when I got home and explained what I had just had to do. The guy I spoke to said it's usually not an issue and sure enough - no fine despite it being right in front of the camera.
Often they supply a photo of the infringement. If you can see the ambulance in that photo, there may be grounds to appeal though as has been said, it might be too late if you've already paid.
Often they supply a photo of the infringement. If you can see the ambulance in that photo, there may be grounds to appeal though as has been said, it might be too late if you've already paid.
The big yin said:
I would contact the Ambulance Service as they will have a log of the vehicle going /coming from an Emergency and times etc and try and appeal it .
I would deffo try and move out the vehicles road and if that meant onto a bus lane then fair enough .
It might not work but worth a try.
Thanks. I would deffo try and move out the vehicles road and if that meant onto a bus lane then fair enough .
It might not work but worth a try.
blueovercream said:
A bit late for you now OP but when this happened to me, I phoned the council when I got home and explained what I had just had to do. The guy I spoke to said it's usually not an issue and sure enough - no fine despite it being right in front of the camera.
Often they supply a photo of the infringement. If you can see the ambulance in that photo, there may be grounds to appeal though as has been said, it might be too late if you've already paid.
You can see the ambulance, just. I’ll upload the photo when I get homeOften they supply a photo of the infringement. If you can see the ambulance in that photo, there may be grounds to appeal though as has been said, it might be too late if you've already paid.
Dave Hedgehog said:
Donbot said:
Don't move unless instructed by the police. I think they need to block traffic to make sure it is safe.
If you break traffic laws because you are concerned someone will die then that is your problem.
yep unfortunately if you break the law driving to allow a blue light through you are fully prosecutable If you break traffic laws because you are concerned someone will die then that is your problem.
daft but there it is
That means you get fined either way whatever you do
exelero said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
Donbot said:
Don't move unless instructed by the police. I think they need to block traffic to make sure it is safe.
If you break traffic laws because you are concerned someone will die then that is your problem.
yep unfortunately if you break the law driving to allow a blue light through you are fully prosecutable If you break traffic laws because you are concerned someone will die then that is your problem.
daft but there it is
That means you get fined either way whatever you do
exelero said:
Donbot said:
How do you block it on purpose?
Well you can, can’t you? The big yin said:
I would contact the Ambulance Service as they will have a log of the vehicle going /coming from an Emergency and times etc and try and appeal it .
I would deffo try and move out the vehicles road and if that meant onto a bus lane then fair enough .
It might not work but worth a try.
No need there will be a video I would deffo try and move out the vehicles road and if that meant onto a bus lane then fair enough .
It might not work but worth a try.
Ok if you’ve already paid it you’ve missed the boat I’m afraid. Not that it helps much now but If you’d appealed it would have been vanishingly unlike not to have been waived. I have dealt with two similar in the past year for an ambulance and fire engine and both were cancelled immediately. Ignore people saying it won’t be cancelled, it is not a criminal offence as it would be if say you moved over a red light stop line to make way, it’s just a pcn
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