Emergency services and redlights
Discussion
Watched a fire service driver getting a bit antsy this morning due to not being able to pass traffic at red lights.
2 lanes of traffic into a 4 way juntion with lights against them - Fire engine came up the rear sirens on but nowhere for the traffic to go bar through the redlight(Railings one side, raised kerbs that are unmountable on the other. Driver of the fire engine was quite insistent on getting passed beeping his horn and gesticulating for people to move forward. Now we all know the answer is that only a police constable can direct trafffic to move through a red light lawfully but whats the moral feeling on this?
personally I think he's in the wrong to try and coerce people to jump a red light but i'd like to think he knows what he's likely rushing to in terms of incident and it may be that saving 30 seconds getting to a house fire or similar is literally going to be the difference between life and death for some poor soul.
Is it perhaps time for an update to the laws to allow other emergency services to direct traffic through a red light in emergency situations to take the amiguity out of situations like this, some moved some sat still which meant those who meant well committed an offence pointlessly.
TLDR is it time we had a change in law to allow fire and ambulance service personell to direct traffic through a red light with no potential repercussions to the motorist
2 lanes of traffic into a 4 way juntion with lights against them - Fire engine came up the rear sirens on but nowhere for the traffic to go bar through the redlight(Railings one side, raised kerbs that are unmountable on the other. Driver of the fire engine was quite insistent on getting passed beeping his horn and gesticulating for people to move forward. Now we all know the answer is that only a police constable can direct trafffic to move through a red light lawfully but whats the moral feeling on this?
personally I think he's in the wrong to try and coerce people to jump a red light but i'd like to think he knows what he's likely rushing to in terms of incident and it may be that saving 30 seconds getting to a house fire or similar is literally going to be the difference between life and death for some poor soul.
Is it perhaps time for an update to the laws to allow other emergency services to direct traffic through a red light in emergency situations to take the amiguity out of situations like this, some moved some sat still which meant those who meant well committed an offence pointlessly.
TLDR is it time we had a change in law to allow fire and ambulance service personell to direct traffic through a red light with no potential repercussions to the motorist
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