Should ambulances get parking tickets?

[Groundsman Willie]

Originally Posted by macafee2

what are you on about? Apart from this "How many Police ,Paramedics, Ambulance, Fire Service etc go joy riding ? " I don't know what your point is.

macafee2

"As far as I understand it, you can park across someones dropped kerb if they are not in the garage/driveway. ie you can't block them in. This is classed as obstruction and you can be ticketed for it. If you are not blocking anyone in, then you can park across a kerb"



ok, you are parked in your drive, emergency vehicle not on a shout parks across your drive. when you go to leave you cannot get out, cannot find driver and are late for work, meeting, interview, court. You have made the emergency vehicle exempt from this restriction and so now have no right to complain.

I think this is what Outlaw was commenting on. If I read correctly, you are saying that the law states that if a car blocks you in your driveway and won't move, it is obstruction. By exempting emergency vehicles from that law, you could find yourself blocked in by an ambulance, not on a call, but with no driver to ask to move.
The point (I think) Outlaw was making, was that you are not likely to find an unattended Emergency vehicle. If it's blocking your drive, it's on emergency business, parked up waiting, in which case it will be attended, or as in this case, the driver has popped in to a shop to buy lunch/toilet break and they'll be back shortly. It will not be parked across your drive for a couple of hours while the driver pops home to have a quickie with the wife while it's quiet.

[Outlaw 41]

Originally Posted by Groundsman Willie

"As far as I understand it, you can park across someones dropped kerb if they are not in the garage/driveway. ie you can't block them in. This is classed as obstruction and you can be ticketed for it. If you are not blocking anyone in, then you can park across a kerb"



ok, you are parked in your drive, emergency vehicle not on a shout parks across your drive. when you go to leave you cannot get out, cannot find driver and are late for work, meeting, interview, court. You have made the emergency vehicle exempt from this restriction and so now have no right to complain.

I think this is what Outlaw was commenting on. If I read correctly, you are saying that the law states that if a car blocks you in your driveway and won't move, it is obstruction. By exempting emergency vehicles from that law, you could find yourself blocked in by an ambulance, not on a call, but with no driver to ask to move.
The point (I think) Outlaw was making, was that you are not likely to find an unattended Emergency vehicle. If it's blocking your drive, it's on emergency business, parked up waiting, in which case it will be attended, or as in this case, the driver has popped in to a shop to buy lunch/toilet break and they'll be back shortly. It will not be parked across your drive for a couple of hours while the driver pops home to have a quickie with the wife while it's quiet.

That is exactly my point and i found the "quickie" remark very funny. The suspension on an ambulance is extremely soft so if you see it parked up but moving you know what door to knock on to get it moved from your drive.

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by Groundsman Willie

"As far as I understand it, you can park across someones dropped kerb if they are not in the garage/driveway. ie you can't block them in. This is classed as obstruction and you can be ticketed for it. If you are not blocking anyone in, then you can park across a kerb"



ok, you are parked in your drive, emergency vehicle not on a shout parks across your drive. when you go to leave you cannot get out, cannot find driver and are late for work, meeting, interview, court. You have made the emergency vehicle exempt from this restriction and so now have no right to complain.

I think this is what Outlaw was commenting on. If I read correctly, you are saying that the law states that if a car blocks you in your driveway and won't move, it is obstruction. By exempting emergency vehicles from that law, you could find yourself blocked in by an ambulance, not on a call, but with no driver to ask to move.
The point (I think) Outlaw was making, was that you are not likely to find an unattended Emergency vehicle. If it's blocking your drive, it's on emergency business, parked up waiting, in which case it will be attended, or as in this case, the driver has popped in to a shop to buy lunch/toilet break and they'll be back shortly. It will not be parked across your drive for a couple of hours while the driver pops home to have a quickie with the wife while it's quiet.

what was the ambulance doing in the ops post?

ah but my point is that if you exempt emergency vehicles from parking restrictions you could find an ambulance across your drive not on a shout.
why? because if you give people the right to do something, one generally will. I cited the issue with by brother in law, he has the right to damage my land and so he does, no need to but he has the right to. No point anyone saying they don't believe it, my solicitor has explained why.

I am not in favour of exempting emergency vehicles from parking restriction when not on a shout but I expect some leniency to be shown. In the op's post the ambulance was parked on a double yellow line not on a shout. As two others pointed out, if the paramedic is then required to attend an incident having their ambulance as close by is beneficial and so in this case I don't feel a ticket should have been issued.


Not everyone is level headed, thoughtful and courteous. Who ever wrote the legal document 60ish years ago covering what is now my land I bet could never have imagined the result. A level headed, thoughtful and courteous person would no damage my land if asked not to. this is the point I'm trying to make, give people the right to do something and someone may well do it..... because they can.


I tend to favour leniency.. turning a blind eye where possible to parking infringements by emergency vehicles not on a shout.

macafee2

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by Outlaw 41

That is exactly my point and i found the "quickie" remark very funny. The suspension on an ambulance is extremely soft so if you see it parked up but moving you know what door to knock on to get it moved from your drive.

I found the ride last year in an ambulance very hard and uncomfortable, quite surprised how bad

macafee2

[victorgte]

Originally Posted by Outlaw 41

All our emergency services should be exempt from all parking restrictions.

Yes Yes Yes. The clue is in the word Emergency. We depend on them so cut them some slack and use common sense.

[Borg Warner]

The yellow lines the ambulance was parked across are there for a reason, to stop drivers parking there. By parking their vehicle where they shouldn't probably causes difficulties for other vehicles to move efficiently around the car park. Meaning that should they get a call to attend an emergency they can't get out because they've caused the car park and possibly the access roads to be blocked.

How ironic would that be?

[topman]

Having watched it again, there's another ambulance parked in a disabled bay which drives off at the beginning. I wonder why they weren't ticketed or what conversation happened to do with that?

[paul d]

Originally Posted by Borg Warner

There are already mechanisms to prevent such events, the last thing that is needed is more legislators imposing more legislation.

And these mechanisms are? As I'm not aware of them (not that there aren't any)

Originally Posted by Borg Warner

The yellow lines the ambulance was parked across are there for a reason, to stop drivers parking there. By parking their vehicle where they shouldn't probably causes difficulties for other vehicles to move efficiently around the car park. Meaning that should they get a call to attend an emergency they can't get out because they've caused the car park and possibly the access roads to be blocked.

How ironic would that be?

Brings me back to my point from earlier. Could there not be dedicated spaces for Emergency Vehicles in supermarket & general car parks.

Regards

Paul

[Outlaw 41]

Originally Posted by macafee2

I found the ride last year in an ambulance very hard and uncomfortable, quite surprised how bad

macafee2

Sorry to hear about your ambulance ride , i hope everything is ok now.

[Borg Warner]

All I recall from one of my ambulance journeys was the driver using rather colourful language at the idiot rush hour drivers around Wolverhampton's ring road.

Got me there just in time he did. Asthma atack, near fatal too.

God bless him.