Paramedic not using bus lanes.

[colonel c]

Driving into Norwich this evening along a two lanes but one is a permanent bus lane. I noticed flashing blue lights in my mirror closing fast. My first thought was that perhaps I had gone over a roundabout a bit too enthusiasticly. So expecting to be stopped I pulled over into the bus lane. Then I realised it was a paramedic as it passed. The driver then closed on the next car in front until it too pulled into the bus lane and so on and so on. The traffic was still quite heavy it was around 6pm. So why did the paramedic not just drive up the bus lane? It was completely empty and he or she could have made good progress instead of waiting for each car to realise what to do.
Is it a legal thing or for safety reasons that they don't use bus lanes.

[Wigeon Incognito]

You were in Norfolk.

[matthias73]

[Ki3r]

colonel c said:

Driving into Norwich this evening along a two lanes but one is a permanent bus lane. I noticed flashing blue lights in my mirror closing fast. My first thought was that perhaps I had gone over a roundabout a bit too enthusiasticly. So expecting to be stopped I pulled over into the bus lane. Then I realised it was a paramedic as it passed. The driver then closed on the next car in front until it too pulled into the bus lane and so on and so on. The traffic was still quite heavy it was around 6pm. So why did the paramedic not just drive up the bus lane? It was completely empty and he or she could have made good progress instead of waiting for each car to realise what to do.
Is it a legal thing or for safety reasons that they don't use bus lanes.

Don't know if its the same (or even true, but no reason not to believe them), but I was on duty on a blue light run a while ago, got stuck behind someone on a dual carriageway on the second lane, first lane was clear. PC said he couldn't undertake, as if they saw/heard him and went to pull into the first lane, he would be at fault.

I guess its a safety thing.

[Caulkhead]

NFN.

[GC8]

Six toes is NFN, but this might have been prudent.

[R0G]

I can see the logic on a dual but not for the 24/7 bus lane

I would say the bus lane is more akin to using the hard shoulder on a mway

[groomi]

Had the same happen down here in Kent.

[djfaulkner]

Similar thing happened to my sisters-ex, he pulled into a bus lane to let a paramedic go past.
Few days later he received a fine for being photographed in the bus lane.

[R0G]

djfaulkner said:

Similar thing happened to my sisters-ex, he pulled into a bus lane to let a paramedic go past.
Few days later he received a fine for being photographed in the bus lane.

The courts/councils usually invalidate the ticket for that so did the driver contest it?

[colonel c]

R0G said:

The courts/councils usually invalidate the ticket for that so did the driver contest it?

After the medic had past I thought 'fk it' and stayed in the bus lane until my turnoff anyway.