WATCH | Cyclist's Indifference to Blaring Emergency Ambulance Sparks Bemusement & Outrage

Video footage of a cyclist blocking an emergency ambulance in London ignites debate about road safety, personal responsibility, and a perceived decline in societal awareness.

It’s a scenario that emergency responders in London know all too well—an emergency call, blue lights flashing, sirens wailing, and yet, someone on the road, on this occasion, a cyclist, refuses to move out of the way.

But this latest example, captured on video, has ignited widespread frustration and debate. And rightly so!

The footage shows a 2023 London Ambulance Ford Transit responding to an emergency. The vehicle approaches a junction, its blue lights flashing, its two-tone siren blaring. Yet, a cyclist in lane two remains completely oblivious.

Whether due to the fact that the cyclist was wearing headphones, sheer ignorance, or a blatant disregard for emergency vehicles, the cyclist failed to move. At one point, they even stop in the middle of the road at the junction, blocking the ambulance entirely.

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I have driven both emergency ambulances and police vehicles on blue lights in London, and there is no way (I am about 99.9% confident) that the cyclist would not have heard the sirens just feet behind them. Even the powerful sound waves from the sirens would have been enough to let the cyclist know that a large emergency vehicle was bearing down on them.

But rather than reacting to the sirens and moving out of the way, the cyclist stays put. The emergency ambulance is left with no choice but to navigate around the cyclist, squeezing past on the nearside in a manoeuvre that could have been easily avoided.

Social media users didn’t hold back in their criticism, with many slamming the cyclist’s lack of awareness and outright disregard for the ambulance trying to get through.

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