On the Blues and Twos.
All emergency calls attended by the London Ambulance Service, should, as a rule, be driven to using the blue lights, and warning sirens, fitted to the vehicle. When I started work there, the siren was in fact a two-tone horn, giving a distinctive sound. This was universally recognised, and referred to by everyone, including children, as a ‘nee-naw’. Vehicles that I drove in my earliest days, also had a loud continuous bell fitted. This was a hangover from the time when crews would physically ring a bell, which was attached to the outside of the vehicle, and pulled by a rope. Luckily, the sounds emitted by all these devices, as well as the later adjustable siren sounds, are not as loud to those inside the vehicle, as they appear to anyone outside.
In London, in the central area especially, traffic is more or less at a standstill, for most of the day, and a good part of the night too; at least until the very early hours, just before light. Most of the normal streets are narrow, and even the larger, two or three lane thoroughfares, are clogged across every lane. In recent years, the advent of bus lanes has only served to completely fill the inside lane with great ‘crocodiles’ of nose to tail buses, making a left turn even more of a challenge. Drivers have a tendency towards selfishness, and are notoriously inattentive, particularly when listening to loud in-car stereo systems, in-ear music players, or when talking on mobile phones.
Then there are the black cabs, a law unto themselves. Doing their famous u-turns, stopping on a sixpence to grab a fare, or parking at a most inappropriate spot, to drop someone off. Add to this the hordes of cyclists, arrogantly ignoring all road signs and traffic restrictions, and the legions of motorcycle couriers, rushing like riders possessed of a death wish, in search of the next delivery. Then there are the drivers new to London; flummoxed and panicked by the lane changes, one-way systems, and suicidal pedestrians, they become unpredictable, like antelope fleeing a pride of lions. Into this maelstrom, we have to drive our top-heavy, unwieldy vehicle, laden with equipment, and with rearward vision only possible by using two small mirrors fixed to the front doors. The tightly packed, high buildings, all serve to bounce the sound of your sirens around, and you can see the spinning heads of the drivers, as they strain to ascertain your direction of travel.
Some drivers do try to help. They do their best to move their vehicles out of your path, often mounting pavements, sometimes going through red lights themselves, risking prosecution from traffic enforcement cameras, trying to do the decent thing. All you ever wanted them to do was to stop, and not to move in any direction. You can drive around stationery vehicles, but those that decide to move become dangerous, and offer a dodgem-car experience instead. Others often refuse to budge. London residents are jaded from familiarity with sirens, and are so used to the constant flow of emergency vehicles, that they become inured to them, and no longer see them as part of an event, something that they have to respond to. In extreme cases, they may even vent their own frustration at traffic conditions, by not only deciding not to move, but also going out of their way to be deliberately awkward.
Then there are the fleets of vehicles that find it harder, or downright impossible to get out of the way. Dustcarts in one-way streets, sluggish street cleansing vehicles, parked vans, their drivers away making deliveries; and huge lorries, wedged in the tightest of spaces, having to deliver bulky items, pump concrete, or off-load tons of bricks. All of these have to be reversed away from, or bypassed with constant right-left turns. One way streets have to be complied with, and going against the flow of a one-way street is taboo, whatever you see on the films. Red lights can be driven through, but only with the greatest care, and at reasonable speed. Have an accident in one of these situations, and you could find yourself prosecuted by the Police, and disciplined by your employer as well.
As a result, I usually favoured crossing to the wrong side of the road, and forcing my way against oncoming traffic. At least they could see you coming, and it was preferable to weave in and out of them, than to sit behind solid jams, with the lights on, and horns blaring, making no progress at all. It was not unknown, for us to take as long as 20 minutes to make a journey of less than two miles. No wonder it has always been so difficult to meet government targets, of an arrival time of less than 8 minutes. In the suburbs, on a nice day, with light traffic flow, and a fairly long run, of say five miles ahead of you, it can be exhilarating, of that there is no doubt. You can legally break every rule in the book (except those one-ways) and justify it, should the need arise. It is boy-racer heaven, dressed in uniform and responsibility.
In the centre, it is nothing short of frustration and stress, and it can also be incredibly tiring, as your attention levels have to be kept at an unnatural high, at all times. Pedestrians often become incredibly stupid, when faced with an oncoming emergency vehicle. It is as if their life suddenly becomes charmed by your presence, and they feel that they can do anything. They can hop across that main road with impunity, sure that you would never hit them. They might decide to walk straight into that gap, the one that you have just spotted, and decided to use as your way through the hold-up. Or, they will get out of a taxi, or step from behind a bus, just at the moment that they can hear your two-tones bearing down on them.
What is surprising, is how few are killed by ambulances, if any at all. I do not recall anyone ever killing a pedestrian whilst driving an ambulance, in all the years that I served. There were also some spectacular vehicle accidents during my service in London, and again, I do not remember anyone ever dying as a consequence. I was lucky, I suppose, as I could never claim skill as a reason. I had one or two damage-only accidents, that were never judged to be my fault. I never knocked anyone over, or suffered any injury personally, as a result of a traffic incident.
The saddest thing, is that after the first few weeks, the excitement of all that unusual driving just goes, as it becomes normal. You start to be pleased when you get a non-emergency call, and you don’t have to use the ‘blues and twos.’ So, don’t be envious, as they speed by, on the wrong side of the road; and never presume that they are going to get a meal, or a cup of tea. It is far too dangerous to muck around for the sake of refreshments, and just doesn’t happen. They would probably sooner be driving normally, sitting behind you in the traffic, shooting the breeze with their crew-mate, or eyeing up the girls.