Blue and Twos vs filtering, who's quicker?

[Whosthedaddy]

Forget a fire engine, they may be big and spotted a lot easier, but too slow for this argument maybe.

An emergency vehicle can speed past speed cameras, through red lights and just about bully anybody out of the way.

You, can only ride at the speed limit but of course can filter.

If you and the emergency vehicle set of from point A to point B, whom would be quicker?
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[SilvaRizla]

Depends on your route, if there isn't a ton load of lights you're screwed
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[nightshaddow]

well that all depends on a few factors lol ie time of day and the road you are on get on the m1 at midnight and the blues and twos could be after you lol
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[Itchy]

The ambulance is quicker, but if you see one go past you follow it! , this has given some incredibly quick times for getting in and out of the city on a 9.7 mile route not including a 5 minute walk to where the bike is parked you can get out of the city chasing an ambulance much of the way in as little as 6-10 minutes (I forget my actual record btw)
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[Whosthedaddy]

[Skudd]

In the days before gatso, we used to always chase the B&Ts just to see where they went. Usually very hum drum things but sometimes you got a good ride out. Police bikes always won, cars 50/50, ambulances easy, fire engines really easy but scarey to watch, blood vans didn't bother. There are now too many cameras to ever give you a proper chance.
We did get a telling off once for overtaking a police car who was on a shout.
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[stinkwheel]

In town, bike.

Tail end of last year, me and a guy on a ZX9R were filtering our way through Harrogate town centre. Saw a police car with blues and twos on pull out behind us so we pulled across, let it pass, then carried on.

Shouldn't have bothered, he was holding us up. He also then stopped in the middle of the road, got out and had a tantrum at us for "following him".

I felt like saying "Is it an emergency or not pal? If it is, why are you stood there and if it isn't, why the blue lights?".
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Paivi]

Easy, Sickpup!
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[plugger147]

[hmmmnz]

i was on the edinburgh bypass and was behind an ambulance with the lights and sirens on in peak hour morning traffic, i had to undertake him as he was slowing me down.

did the same with a police car in the after noon (different day) but i couldnt get past him, all the cars would close up really quickly behind him, and he was far more aggressive than the ambulance.

i did get past him once the traffic cleared a bit,
there is something quite satisfying passing a police car doing 90 with lights on, and him not pulling you up
he even gave me a wave and a smile
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[St0rmer66]

[minesweeper]

[chris-red]

On the A13 when it's busy I'm always faster than any Emgency services.
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[Moonie]

Emergency Services don't get U-turned

[djrichieb]

Is it actually true that Emergency services, even with the B&T's on cant break the speed limit by law? Just i was talking about this with a colleague this morning and he reckons this to be true yet they should get there as quick as possible. Doubted the idea my self but I’ve never seen any mention of them being allowed to exceed the speed limit in the Highway Code?
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[colin1]

I think once they have had their blue light training, they can go about 10mph above the speed limit legally.

But as a policeman picking up his chinese takeaway in the news, got off a speeding charge by bullshitting that he was on his way to an emergency, as long as they arent going silly fast, they can do what they want.

Traffic coppers in a pursuit in a 40mph zone have to back off if speeds go above 100mph. Which must mean that if they feel its safe to do so, they can do 90.
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[c_dug]

I think they have "guidlines" rather than set rules, do you remember the post about the policeman giving the thums up to the speed camera? in the website news report it said he was doing 50mph which was within the police guidlines for that road (a 30mph road)

cant find the link to the page will edit if i find it

c_dug
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[kiers]

afaik they're allowed to go as fast as they want, but if they hit someone going faster than the limit they are liable to be prosecuted
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[stinkwheel]

They have what is referred to as "an exemption". It's illegal for them to break the speed limit but they wont be prosecuted for doing so (unless of course they are in an ambulance delivering emergency blood products in which case they get the book thrown at them).

I have often maintained that I think the blue light should be reserved for proper emergencies. Fire brigade, fine. Ambulance, fine. Police responding to emergency, fine. Police chasing someone who refuses to stop, not fine, should be a different colour.

The other situations are someone responding to a life critical situation, they require and deserve my respect and me getting out of their way. Giving them to traffic cops de-values the respect that should be afforded to the blue light.

If an ambulance was behind me with the blue lights on and I had to put the car in a ditch to let it through, I would, someones life is at stake. If I landed up putting my car in a ditch for a copper chasing after someone with a small numberplate, I would be more than pissed off.

They do it in other countries. Police get a flashing red light, ambulances and fire engines get a blue one.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[sickpup]

Probably the biggest problem here is the training the Police receive especially in relation to bike riding.

The training comes down to moving traffic out of your way but there is a massive flaw in the system. Our roads were designed decades ago and over time vehicles have become wider and wider and there are considerably more of them so there is little space for cars to move out of the way.

We've now got Police using large BMW's as area cars in London which when combined with over large cars and larger still MPV's and 4X4's mean a Police car turning on it's blues and two's in Central London just causes a snarl up, would normally be quicker to just stay driving normally than watch all the car drivers panic.

Police on bikes are still discouraged from filtering and are expected to use their 'road presence' to move cars out of the way which just doesn't work when cars have no where to go.

Your average courier is quicker through traffic with out making any noise or fuss than your average police vehicle with its lights on.

[Itchy]

Case law says don't budge for flashing blue lights too, I recall several cases, one where a guy moved over the white line at traffic lights.

He got 3 points and £60 fine for his trouble.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[psimpson]

[panrider_uk]

Several years back I had my car written off by an ambulance going through a red light on the wrong side of the road at a crossroads.

I believe the driver was sacked. He said he went through the lights on green and that I went through a red light. His colleague backed me up!

Mark
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[johnyb999]

I am a Paramedic in Manchester. We are allowed to exceed the statuory speed limit by law, the guidelines are that you should not exceed the speed limit by more than 20 mph , and it really pisses me off when you get tail gaiters right up ur jacksy! I have a gixer 750 and wouldnt dream of following an Ambulance through red lights etc, its hard enough putting up with some of the car drivers in front of you let alone the nobead following you. Give us a break eh chaps

[c_dug]