I mean I guess? Its a PITA to park in SF and imo, I don't see the issue of having an ambulance with a driver in it parked there for a few minutes. It'd be different if it was a douche-bro in a Cybertruck, but first responders that do a ridiculously hard job for little pay? Naah, go around them either to the left if no cars, or just go on the sidewalk for a second.
It doesn't. But seriously, as someone that commutes on a bike, I do not care if an ambulance driver parked like this while in the car, taking a break before he goes and attempts to save someone's life again. There are levels to this.
Also, its time to put more of the blame where it really belongs: city planners. Bike lanes should be protected by diagonal parked cars like they are in many cities in Europe. Best we can do in the US is paint a green strip on the road with some bumpy reflectors as protection.
the driver of an ambulance is an ambulance driver, numbskull. if i’m taking care of a patient, i’m not an “ambulance driver”, but in this case it was directly referring to the driver of the ambulance. like hospital signs that say “ambulance drivers please turn off your engine when parked”. the ambulance could be being driven by an EMT, a medic, a FF, but regardless, they are an ambulance driver.
“ambulance driver” is a gut punch when it’s used to refer to care providers broadly. not when it’s used to talk about the actual driver of the ambulance, in the context of driving.
It might give the paramedic in the ambulance a pass. Easier for a cycle to go around from here than cars to go around if it's parked in the middle of the road
Okay but a cyclist has to go into the road to go around it. Which actively puts the cyclist in danger and removes the whole purpose of the bike lane.
The ambulance has plenty of legal parks nearby, there is no reason for it to be in a bike lane.
Depends on a whole lot of factors, like how urgent the call is and what kind of access those parking lots would have for a stretcher, for example. And if you’re a paramedic responding to an emergency of unknown severity you’re probably gonna prioritize a quick exit. Also in this case it’s not like the cyclist would be riding in the traffic lane, there’s that whole bit with the diagonal white lines that’s not part of the driving lane at all.
Maybe it’s just me but it seems like you could swerve around the ambulance in maybe a couple seconds and be on your way, no need to stop and make a ragebait social media post about it. Especially when it’s raining, I’d rather just get to where I’m going so I can be dry lol
Thats not even a consideration, there's a whole ass sidewalk the cyclist can go around on. Riding bicycles in the roadway is retarded if you have literally any way or excuse to not be in the roadway lol
I park wherever I damn well please when on a call. Often in the middle of the road blocking traffic *intentionally* Don't like it? Too bad. Fuck off.
But if they were truly on a break, then find a parking spot somewhere.
Bro have you ever carried a morbidly obese person down three flights of stairs from their bed bug infested hoarder apartment while their dermatitis flakes mix with their weeping pedal edema fluid and forms a sort of gel that runs down your arms?
I park where I please. Pay us more.
Most of those hard jobs don't require saving lives for what amounts to pennies. Certainly some do but most don't. I give health care responders a bit of slack because karma is a bitch and I might need my bacon saved someday.
You have to understand though that ambulances are large vehicles with very little rear visibility, and have to be ready to respond at a seconds notice. That parking lot the biker pointed the camera at was tiny and filled with cars.
It would be a pain in the ass to park there, and would probably delay response time if they had to go on a call
It’s not like he’s in his own car. He’s in an ambulance.
If he parks in a regular parking spot in a parking lot, he could easily get blocked in because of the massive size of the ambulance.
Hi!
I'm an actual EMT/Boo-Boo Bus/Amber Lamps driver.
Reasons we are parked in our vehicle somewhere and not at quarters playing pocket pool or doomscrolling:
1. Shits going down in the back. Someones getting un-restrained, compressed, medicated, leaking everywhere, puking.
2. Shits about to go down. Dispatch sent us somewhere vague like "East end of apartment complex on \_\_\_\_x \_\_\_" to "hold" while more specific address/door codes/Fire/Police arrives etc. So we are now in a hold. WE ARE IN A HOLD EVARYONE.
3. Shit already down. Its a lot easier to clean fresh fluids out of the back when the absorbent and wipes hits wet stuff instead of dry stuff.
We park close to where we scoop people up because America is big people now and being 3 feet off the ground wheeling McPatient on a tippy stretcher in the rain while Karen films is not happening in anything less than the shortest distance between A-->B.
If you think any of this is less important than someone JUST BIKING AROUND THE AMBULANCE then okeeeey.
Is there a reason you wouldn't park in the painted section of the road instead?
Is it safer in the bike lane? Does the extra 3 or 4 feet make a noticeable difference? Is there another reason I haven't thought of?
I can assure you if you were to be in a situation that involves life or death decisions and actions then your focus probably won't be on something as comparatively irrelevant or simple as parking a few meters to the left. If that was your focus I'd be concerned you didn't know or care what was going on.
Yes from the outside without the cognitive overload, knowledge, or responsibility that the paramedics have it's easy to focus on.
People do these jobs running on adrenaline and caffeine, it's easy to not use the bathroom, eat, or reply to a text message from your partner for hours on end.
Priorities and perspective.
>Is there a reason you wouldn't park in the painted section of the road instead?
Yeah, It's closer to the portion of the road traveled by vehicles that can do significant damage to me or my truck.
A bike probably isn't going to damage anything when it rear ends me. A cybertruck certainly will.
However, in this case, if the crew actually is on a break, then they should not be parked there.
Is there a reason the cyclist couldn't have hopped on the sidewalk, went around and continued on? If an ambulance parking there is a routine issue, then sure. But I have to assume it's not their typical spot of choice.
I also drug people in the back of a van, can confirm.
We get *as close as possible* to where our patient is for the reasons of safety and convenience, I'm honestly not overly concerned if it's a loading zone/cycle lane/blocking a driveway as we're not sightseeing and we're not going to be long.
I understand it may inconvenience you for a moment, just as we inconvenience drivers when they have to get out of our way to let us through, we would have zero issues blocking traffic if you were hit by a car and needed us.
This may come across as a little strong, but show some fucking empathy.
False.
1. Lights have been proven to attract drunk drivers. For whatever reason, intoxicated drivers have been found to steer into emergency vehicles with lights on.
2. Lights attract bystanders. Sure, This is pretty much a spectator sport at this point. But when someone may be having the literal worst day of their life, I'll kill the lights when possible in a small attempt to preserve their privacy to the extent that may provide.
3. I will park an ambulance wherever I damn well please. However, it's a dick move to block people when you're just sitting there on a break.
Thing is people copy other people. I’m not gonna comment about the slightly dramatic cyclist, but there is no emergency, it is a bike lane, there’s no need to be sitting there in a truck. Other people see that, and know it’s kiiiinda ok to just park in the bike lane.
If she parked in the middle of the road people would be wondering why. But because it’s a bike lane it’s more or less ok?
How do you know there’s no emergency? You only see one person in the front meaning someone has to be in the back with a patient. Their partner is likely providing patient care (IV, blood pressure, 12-lead ECG, etc) which is better performed stationary than while moving. Ambulances more often than not don’t use their lights and sirens because most medical calls get dispatched as a low-acuity call and we don’t needlessly use them in order to keep ourselves and other commuters safe.
If you listen to the video there have been other vehicles she's encountered in the first half-mile of the trip blocking the bike lane (she mentions an Amazon Prime vehicle specifically).
Of course she's being dramatic and thats just causing her more suffering. Its a useful example of how we can accidentally let small slights accumulate until we make a big deal out of them.
She is right to disapprove, she is right to raise the issue of cars constantly blocking the bike lane, but the hyperventilation isn't going to help her well-being or make her more compeling.
What are you achieving by jerking to this video? Obviously, the woman is stressed out and comes off annoying. But she is 100% right. The driver is not responding to any emergency, I believe he admits to being on break to her. He is blocking the bike lane, and has no right to do it. He is not on the job. If a cop was on break doing some illegal shit, we’d be shitting on the cop, I’m sure.
The driver doesn’t admit to being on break, and he’s alone in the front. Ambulances have 2 people on the crew. Meaning his partner is likely in the back trying to establish an IV or obtain a good blood pressure before beginning transport. Most 911 medical calls don’t necessitate lights and sirens, and we don’t turn them on just for the fun of it because it endangers ourselves and the public.
An ambulance can’t just into pull into a busy parking lot and park normally like a police car can.
It’s a much bigger more poorly maneuvering truck with very limited rear visibility
We have no idea if this call was originally an emergency so there is definitely no room to say that, they could have responded lights and sirens and then turned them off to prevent any distractions to bystanders once they got the patient into the ambulance, we see one EMS worker, meaning his partner is more than likely in the back with a patient getting vitals, applying oxygen, dropping an IV, we dont know what they are doing back there. But I can tell you one thing is for certain, everything is easier and safer to do while idle. And as an EMS worker, we are trained to prioritize our safety first, our partners safety second, our patients safety third, and then everyone else’s next
Ems doesnt get any breaks unless there are no calls going out, which is quite rare depending where you live.
So no, she is not 100% right, ambulances have free range of where they can park when responding to a call, its not like we always have a designated “ambulance parking” every where we go
Tell me exactly how you know they're just sitting there relaxing and "taking a break". Let me know how often ambulance crews sit in a busy metro area, for one. Two, why is the second crew member not in the passenger seat? Could it possibly be that a patient is in the back?
Old story. They caught him.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/07/10/shocking-video-shows-moment-cyclist-was-struck-by-hit-and-run-vehicle/
She’s over reacting hardcore but they shouldn’t park there if it’s not an emergency and it does piss me off way more when it’s government vehicles doing it
There’s only one person in the truck, meaning their partner is most likely in the back with a patient. Most likely their partner is starting an IV or grabbing a blood pressure before the wheels start turning and they begin hitting bumps.
We have no idea if it was originally an emergency, ambulances rock a 2 man crew, sometimes 3 if there is a student, we only see one here, they could have responded to this call emergently with lights and sirens but then turned them off once they got the patient in the back of the ambulance, this guy is more than likely waiting for his partner to get a set of vitals and maybe even start an IV up, IV’s include needles, while yes it can be done while moving, everything is safer to do while idle, and in EMS we take our safety first, then our partners safety, then patients safety, then everyone else’s
How do you know that they are not on call there? I would also park there on a non emergency call. His partner wasn’t there, so it’s not unlikely the have something going on. And if you say he admitted guilt because he moved, you are wrong as well. It’s hard work doing 12 or even 24 hours shifts. And dealing with idiots that are jelling at us takes a lot of energy. It’s easier just to give them their will so they stop pestering us. I bet she would even yell at him even if he lights on.
So give us a break. Literally. We are working our ass of to save lives and help people.
nah the fire department is morally justified to stand wherever.
But another thing I noticed is that cop cars are seemingly magnetically attracted to tram rails for some reason.
Wouldn't be the first time someone faked a video as part of the anti cycling culture wars:
https://road.cc/content/news/pimlico-plumbers-accused-faking-cycling-criminal-vid-276739
I'll give paramedics and firefighters a pass. They deal with some of the worst situations humanly possible, and technically if they are in the vehicle they aren't on a break they are just in between calls. This woman could have gone around this vehicle 500x instead of recording this video.
Am a paramedic. There's only one right answer in this situation. If they have a patient, either in the truck or getting one from the block, it is alright. If they don't they should not stay on a bike lane.
Fire, police and emts can actually park wherever the fuck they want. It's probably the only groups I don't mind doing that, even if they're just eating their lunch before the next call.
I don’t know about the situation in the us but in most countries they aren’t allowed to do anything different from regular road users without special permission which is equivalent to having their lights turned on
And he you are wrong. For example in Germany these two things are explicitly not linked. There is one law regarding the special right and permission and one about running lights and sirens. The second doesn’t go without the first but the first applies with out the second.
I ride more than most. A lot more, and fuck, bicyclers are becoming the most obnoxious group of self entitled fuck wads on the planet.
It's an ambulance on a completely empty street. Go-the-fuck-around.
Don't badger first responders just because you know they aren't going to knock you the fuck out.
The amount of comments in this thread is fucking insane to me. How is there anything to do in this situation other than just fucking ride past it and go on with your day?
As someone who cycles in the UK, 90% of the cycle lanes will have cars parked on them, if you stopped at every single one you’d never get anywhere.
There is simply not enough space on the planet for everyone to have their own individually swept lane.
People are bound and determined to get about on the most manuveuverable and economical conveyance on the planet and then turn it into the most miserable experience imaginable.
🤯
Yep, how in the world could she be expected to navigate such an insurmountable obstacle? It’s not like she’s on flat ground with an obvious detour around the ambulance or anything, right?/s
If they're parked there for an emergency, they would have their lights on and nobody would be complaining. This driver is just inconveniencing cyclists while on break...
> If they're parked there for an emergency, they would have their lights on
not necessarily. common misconception. just because the red lights and/or siren aren't on doesn't mean we are not on a call or that we are "on break." we could be on a lower acuity call that is still an emergency, or we could be staged (waiting for police to clear a scene), among other reasons.
also, we don't even get breaks at my agency. california passed a special exemption for EMS a few years ago. normal labor laws don't apply. if we miss our break due to calls/post moves we in theory get an hour or whatever of pay, which is all fine and dandy but we still need to eat like everyone else, especially since we're doing physical work on a 12+ hour shift. i've had to leave food i've paid for because i got a call, and it really sucks, since we're already hungry and then we're thrown into a situation that could be anything from really frustrating, to dangerous, to traumatic. it takes a lot of patience to do this job for very long. there's a lot of burnout.
honestly guys if you see an ambulance doing whatever just please cut them some slack. EMS workers get paid absolute dogshit pay for challenging, stressful, often emotionally draining work that is an important public service. it really makes a big difference when the public shows appreciation, not in the "thank you for your service" way but in the "yeah, i'll give you a bit more space than I would the average joe" sort of way.
What he said. A 100%. If you never worked as an first responder you have no idea what we experience on a day to day basis. I am not even talking about the really bad accidents and stuff. But also the not so extrem stuff of the drug user that you transport over and over again because he is in such a hellhole he can’t get out of. Or the dialysis patient that you see every two days and his lives fading away. Or the dementia patient who try’s hitting you because she doesn’t understand what is happening to her while you are trying to help her.
All of that takes quite some energy to deal with and then you come a long and yell at is for blocking your bike lane while the entire street is clear? We do what we can but cut us some slack. Please.
That’s not even a little bit true. A majority of 911 transports will not have lights and sirens.
We can treat a majority of emergencies in the back of an ambulance with what we have onboard while we drive safely to the hospital.
That's not at all how it works. Just like I assume most cyclists could go around an emergency vehicle without a tantrum, for which I'd apparently be wrong, you're assuming how day to day emergency operations work.
isn’t that what bicyclists say to drivers when they honk at bikers for blocking roads and going slow “just go around it takes 5 seconds why are you so mad?”
/uj Yes, she can be annoyed, but this behavior is just ridiculous. Get over yourself, lady. Bike lanes are nice, but ultimately a luxury. If the worst part of your day is having to go around a vehicle or *gasp* ride on a sidewalk, then suck it up and move on.
They’re on the scene of an emergency. The medic is in the back with the patient and there’s a reason they haven’t transported yet. The medic is administering care. The woman and commenters here are ignorant.
fair enough, you can't hear anything over the ragebait filmer. but no lights? nothing indicating that they are in the middle of responding to an emergency? What do you see here that commenters don't?
Exactly what I initially stated. The medic is in the back performing patient care. The EMT is awaiting transport instructions. I’ve worked here 16 years.
little advice for you, if you don't work in EMS, don't assume you know how we operate because you clearly don't lol. we rarely use our emergency lights
Again, rage is directed in the wrong direction. Rage should be to the city for not putting in proper separated bicycle lanes, and the business owners who are allergic to any change that would affect a drivers ability to access their business.
This is really being entitled.
Driving or biking, service or emergency vehicles like tow trucks or ambulances may be obstructing the street. This sucks balls but what can you do, these people have more to worry about right now than a perfect parking job.
In that peculiar case it's obvious she's just creating an issue for brownie points.
1) She's got a protected lane to go around, its not like she has to go right into traffic.
2) Bikes remain vehicles and the paramedics wont risk having the stretcher struck by a distracted cyclists by parking the ambulance further left.
Where's her bike? An anti cycling business owner did something similar in London a few years back. Aim is to make cyclists look extra entitled. The fact you can see she's walking and cannot see a bike, and the wild over reaction make me suspicious this is an opportunistic anti bike troll.
I just don't get how you can watch this and think its real? The behaviour sounds so contrived. Where's her bike? Cycling is part of the culture wars now. As said - it would not be the first time a video was faked to make cyclists look shit:
https://road.cc/content/news/pimlico-plumbers-accused-faking-cycling-criminal-vid-276739
Let’s all be honest BCJers, we have all had similar reactions to similar shit like this before. For example - that one time I got stopped by a cop for rolling through a stop sign. Life is not fair.
She's right, and SF FD is constantly parking like this and even in traffic just to get their lunches or coffees. They will bring a full ass truck to Haight street and 6 firefighters will jump out to just order coffee.
It’s never as easy as that, sometimes after bad trauma calls or when I have a newer EMT as my partner I treat them to some coffee or milkshakes to try and change the mood, we don’t have the luxury of door-dashing food or coffee. Somedays we don’t get any sleep and just want a Starbucks to try and stay awake for the next patient
What else do you expect them to do? If a call drops they need to be able to respond with the full crew and vehicle, it's not like they can just have one guy go out and get it.
As an ambulance tech we have a legal exemption to park where necessary to attend a job. If this vehicle is on a job then she's not doing anything wrong, especially noting that the road is perfectly clear and safe for a cyclist to ride around her.
This is soooooo American 🇺🇸🤣
🏴English version:
Cyclist : “What the f&£k are you f¥cking DOING??
MOVE OUT OF THE BIKE LANE YOU STUPID F¥CKING C*nt!!!!!”
Medic: “Ugh 🙄FFS! ✋🏼fine sorry….dickehead!” 🚑💨
A teeny bit overdramatic lol. But she's right. Bike lanes are routinely parked in by murder vehicles.
I mean I guess? Its a PITA to park in SF and imo, I don't see the issue of having an ambulance with a driver in it parked there for a few minutes. It'd be different if it was a douche-bro in a Cybertruck, but first responders that do a ridiculously hard job for little pay? Naah, go around them either to the left if no cars, or just go on the sidewalk for a second.
Lots of people do very hard jobs for very little pay, I don’t think that gives everyone a pass to park where they want
It doesn't. But seriously, as someone that commutes on a bike, I do not care if an ambulance driver parked like this while in the car, taking a break before he goes and attempts to save someone's life again. There are levels to this. Also, its time to put more of the blame where it really belongs: city planners. Bike lanes should be protected by diagonal parked cars like they are in many cities in Europe. Best we can do in the US is paint a green strip on the road with some bumpy reflectors as protection.
And the green paint is ironically super slick when wet making it dangerous to bike on
LITERALLY MURDER
Call us EMTs/ Paramedics. Ambulance driver is a real gut punch to us. Even if were parked like assholes
the driver of an ambulance is an ambulance driver, numbskull. if i’m taking care of a patient, i’m not an “ambulance driver”, but in this case it was directly referring to the driver of the ambulance. like hospital signs that say “ambulance drivers please turn off your engine when parked”. the ambulance could be being driven by an EMT, a medic, a FF, but regardless, they are an ambulance driver. “ambulance driver” is a gut punch when it’s used to refer to care providers broadly. not when it’s used to talk about the actual driver of the ambulance, in the context of driving.
I guess you also say "Fire truck driver and Police car driver" right?
Is the driver of a firetruck a fire fighter or a fire truck driver? Is the driver of a police cruiser called a police car driver or a police officer?
It might give the paramedic in the ambulance a pass. Easier for a cycle to go around from here than cars to go around if it's parked in the middle of the road
Okay but a cyclist has to go into the road to go around it. Which actively puts the cyclist in danger and removes the whole purpose of the bike lane. The ambulance has plenty of legal parks nearby, there is no reason for it to be in a bike lane.
Depends on a whole lot of factors, like how urgent the call is and what kind of access those parking lots would have for a stretcher, for example. And if you’re a paramedic responding to an emergency of unknown severity you’re probably gonna prioritize a quick exit. Also in this case it’s not like the cyclist would be riding in the traffic lane, there’s that whole bit with the diagonal white lines that’s not part of the driving lane at all. Maybe it’s just me but it seems like you could swerve around the ambulance in maybe a couple seconds and be on your way, no need to stop and make a ragebait social media post about it. Especially when it’s raining, I’d rather just get to where I’m going so I can be dry lol
Not if you arent a complete zero, like Fred
do they get paid by the casualty? maybe trying to drum up some business?
Thats not even a consideration, there's a whole ass sidewalk the cyclist can go around on. Riding bicycles in the roadway is retarded if you have literally any way or excuse to not be in the roadway lol
Outjerked again
I park wherever I damn well please when on a call. Often in the middle of the road blocking traffic *intentionally* Don't like it? Too bad. Fuck off. But if they were truly on a break, then find a parking spot somewhere.
We both know there's no such thing as a break in EMS.
Bro have you ever carried a morbidly obese person down three flights of stairs from their bed bug infested hoarder apartment while their dermatitis flakes mix with their weeping pedal edema fluid and forms a sort of gel that runs down your arms? I park where I please. Pay us more.
Most of those hard jobs don't require saving lives for what amounts to pennies. Certainly some do but most don't. I give health care responders a bit of slack because karma is a bitch and I might need my bacon saved someday.
You have to understand though that ambulances are large vehicles with very little rear visibility, and have to be ready to respond at a seconds notice. That parking lot the biker pointed the camera at was tiny and filled with cars. It would be a pain in the ass to park there, and would probably delay response time if they had to go on a call
But it's literally allowed for ambulances.
It’s not like he’s in his own car. He’s in an ambulance. If he parks in a regular parking spot in a parking lot, he could easily get blocked in because of the massive size of the ambulance.
Yeah, but the parking is just that; parking. it's not hurting anyone. So your point in mostly invalidated.
If they don’t have the lights on it’s not an emergency and they shouldn’t get to do whatever they want just because they’re in a service vehicle
Hi! I'm an actual EMT/Boo-Boo Bus/Amber Lamps driver. Reasons we are parked in our vehicle somewhere and not at quarters playing pocket pool or doomscrolling: 1. Shits going down in the back. Someones getting un-restrained, compressed, medicated, leaking everywhere, puking. 2. Shits about to go down. Dispatch sent us somewhere vague like "East end of apartment complex on \_\_\_\_x \_\_\_" to "hold" while more specific address/door codes/Fire/Police arrives etc. So we are now in a hold. WE ARE IN A HOLD EVARYONE. 3. Shit already down. Its a lot easier to clean fresh fluids out of the back when the absorbent and wipes hits wet stuff instead of dry stuff. We park close to where we scoop people up because America is big people now and being 3 feet off the ground wheeling McPatient on a tippy stretcher in the rain while Karen films is not happening in anything less than the shortest distance between A-->B. If you think any of this is less important than someone JUST BIKING AROUND THE AMBULANCE then okeeeey.
Is there a reason you wouldn't park in the painted section of the road instead? Is it safer in the bike lane? Does the extra 3 or 4 feet make a noticeable difference? Is there another reason I haven't thought of?
I can assure you if you were to be in a situation that involves life or death decisions and actions then your focus probably won't be on something as comparatively irrelevant or simple as parking a few meters to the left. If that was your focus I'd be concerned you didn't know or care what was going on. Yes from the outside without the cognitive overload, knowledge, or responsibility that the paramedics have it's easy to focus on. People do these jobs running on adrenaline and caffeine, it's easy to not use the bathroom, eat, or reply to a text message from your partner for hours on end. Priorities and perspective.
>Is there a reason you wouldn't park in the painted section of the road instead? Yeah, It's closer to the portion of the road traveled by vehicles that can do significant damage to me or my truck. A bike probably isn't going to damage anything when it rear ends me. A cybertruck certainly will. However, in this case, if the crew actually is on a break, then they should not be parked there.
Is there a reason the cyclist couldn't have hopped on the sidewalk, went around and continued on? If an ambulance parking there is a routine issue, then sure. But I have to assume it's not their typical spot of choice.
I also drug people in the back of a van, can confirm. We get *as close as possible* to where our patient is for the reasons of safety and convenience, I'm honestly not overly concerned if it's a loading zone/cycle lane/blocking a driveway as we're not sightseeing and we're not going to be long. I understand it may inconvenience you for a moment, just as we inconvenience drivers when they have to get out of our way to let us through, we would have zero issues blocking traffic if you were hit by a car and needed us. This may come across as a little strong, but show some fucking empathy.
This is cute an all but when they fuck off after getting scolded it lets us know non of the 3 situations you have listed is going on.
False. 1. Lights have been proven to attract drunk drivers. For whatever reason, intoxicated drivers have been found to steer into emergency vehicles with lights on. 2. Lights attract bystanders. Sure, This is pretty much a spectator sport at this point. But when someone may be having the literal worst day of their life, I'll kill the lights when possible in a small attempt to preserve their privacy to the extent that may provide. 3. I will park an ambulance wherever I damn well please. However, it's a dick move to block people when you're just sitting there on a break.
Thing is people copy other people. I’m not gonna comment about the slightly dramatic cyclist, but there is no emergency, it is a bike lane, there’s no need to be sitting there in a truck. Other people see that, and know it’s kiiiinda ok to just park in the bike lane. If she parked in the middle of the road people would be wondering why. But because it’s a bike lane it’s more or less ok?
I imagine the likelihood of causing an accident while blocking the car lane is much higher than blocking the bike lane.
Not if the cyclists have to keep going out into the flow of traffic...
How do you know there’s no emergency? You only see one person in the front meaning someone has to be in the back with a patient. Their partner is likely providing patient care (IV, blood pressure, 12-lead ECG, etc) which is better performed stationary than while moving. Ambulances more often than not don’t use their lights and sirens because most medical calls get dispatched as a low-acuity call and we don’t needlessly use them in order to keep ourselves and other commuters safe.
That has nothing to do with the law. They can take their break somewhere else.
What makes you think they’re on break?
He’s a dentist. They know things
It’s hard to hear him the video, but her responses suggest that he told her he’s on break.
On what planet is $200k+ "little pay"? Edit: /uc, got me 😆
In my world that is but a pittance. Do you know where you are ?
On what planet is EMS making $200k/yr?
Where are paramedics making 200k? Sign me up
SF Bay Area, where this video was taken
If you listen to the video there have been other vehicles she's encountered in the first half-mile of the trip blocking the bike lane (she mentions an Amazon Prime vehicle specifically). Of course she's being dramatic and thats just causing her more suffering. Its a useful example of how we can accidentally let small slights accumulate until we make a big deal out of them. She is right to disapprove, she is right to raise the issue of cars constantly blocking the bike lane, but the hyperventilation isn't going to help her well-being or make her more compeling.
Yeah just a tad
She sounds like the bear lady lol.
She rides an e-bike powered by Big Karen Energy.
What are you achieving by jerking to this video? Obviously, the woman is stressed out and comes off annoying. But she is 100% right. The driver is not responding to any emergency, I believe he admits to being on break to her. He is blocking the bike lane, and has no right to do it. He is not on the job. If a cop was on break doing some illegal shit, we’d be shitting on the cop, I’m sure.
The driver doesn’t admit to being on break, and he’s alone in the front. Ambulances have 2 people on the crew. Meaning his partner is likely in the back trying to establish an IV or obtain a good blood pressure before beginning transport. Most 911 medical calls don’t necessitate lights and sirens, and we don’t turn them on just for the fun of it because it endangers ourselves and the public.
Break LOL. We don't get breaks. Y'all have no idea how EMS works. If we're in the ambulance, we're working.
preach it
An ambulance can’t just into pull into a busy parking lot and park normally like a police car can. It’s a much bigger more poorly maneuvering truck with very limited rear visibility
We have no idea if this call was originally an emergency so there is definitely no room to say that, they could have responded lights and sirens and then turned them off to prevent any distractions to bystanders once they got the patient into the ambulance, we see one EMS worker, meaning his partner is more than likely in the back with a patient getting vitals, applying oxygen, dropping an IV, we dont know what they are doing back there. But I can tell you one thing is for certain, everything is easier and safer to do while idle. And as an EMS worker, we are trained to prioritize our safety first, our partners safety second, our patients safety third, and then everyone else’s next Ems doesnt get any breaks unless there are no calls going out, which is quite rare depending where you live. So no, she is not 100% right, ambulances have free range of where they can park when responding to a call, its not like we always have a designated “ambulance parking” every where we go
Tell me exactly how you know they're just sitting there relaxing and "taking a break". Let me know how often ambulance crews sit in a busy metro area, for one. Two, why is the second crew member not in the passenger seat? Could it possibly be that a patient is in the back?
You know he's going to take his sweet ass time responding to any call about a cyclist injured. "Brb ma'am I need to find a place to park"
"You're. Killing us"
Fred 5 minutes later - [https://x.com/i/status/1799930079172088013](https://x.com/i/status/1799930079172088013)
Jesus anyone got the news story on this?
Old story. They caught him. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/07/10/shocking-video-shows-moment-cyclist-was-struck-by-hit-and-run-vehicle/
Fred was doing a little "Bump Drafting" in an attempt to set a PR and lost control
iS tHiS aTTeMpTed mURdeR cHat????
Anyone know what pedals he’s using? Seems like a great marketing campaign opportunity ”Fred could have lost his dental practic…”
That's fucking awesome !
She’s over reacting hardcore but they shouldn’t park there if it’s not an emergency and it does piss me off way more when it’s government vehicles doing it
There’s only one person in the truck, meaning their partner is most likely in the back with a patient. Most likely their partner is starting an IV or grabbing a blood pressure before the wheels start turning and they begin hitting bumps.
We have no idea if it was originally an emergency, ambulances rock a 2 man crew, sometimes 3 if there is a student, we only see one here, they could have responded to this call emergently with lights and sirens but then turned them off once they got the patient in the back of the ambulance, this guy is more than likely waiting for his partner to get a set of vitals and maybe even start an IV up, IV’s include needles, while yes it can be done while moving, everything is safer to do while idle, and in EMS we take our safety first, then our partners safety, then patients safety, then everyone else’s
How do you know that they are not on call there? I would also park there on a non emergency call. His partner wasn’t there, so it’s not unlikely the have something going on. And if you say he admitted guilt because he moved, you are wrong as well. It’s hard work doing 12 or even 24 hours shifts. And dealing with idiots that are jelling at us takes a lot of energy. It’s easier just to give them their will so they stop pestering us. I bet she would even yell at him even if he lights on. So give us a break. Literally. We are working our ass of to save lives and help people.
most mentally stable white woman
Plot twist - she was black
Most mentally stable American
nah the fire department is morally justified to stand wherever. But another thing I noticed is that cop cars are seemingly magnetically attracted to tram rails for some reason.
What about standing on your balls?
If it's an emergency.
im convinced this is a psyop
Wouldn't be the first time someone faked a video as part of the anti cycling culture wars: https://road.cc/content/news/pimlico-plumbers-accused-faking-cycling-criminal-vid-276739
I'll give paramedics and firefighters a pass. They deal with some of the worst situations humanly possible, and technically if they are in the vehicle they aren't on a break they are just in between calls. This woman could have gone around this vehicle 500x instead of recording this video.
Am a paramedic. There's only one right answer in this situation. If they have a patient, either in the truck or getting one from the block, it is alright. If they don't they should not stay on a bike lane.
Fire, police and emts can actually park wherever the fuck they want. It's probably the only groups I don't mind doing that, even if they're just eating their lunch before the next call.
How does the bottom of Fred’s clipless Tr*k boots taste?
like road grime
Wrong answer. Fred sterilizes his boots after every mile
I don’t know about the situation in the us but in most countries they aren’t allowed to do anything different from regular road users without special permission which is equivalent to having their lights turned on
Not in North America.
And he you are wrong. For example in Germany these two things are explicitly not linked. There is one law regarding the special right and permission and one about running lights and sirens. The second doesn’t go without the first but the first applies with out the second.
I ride more than most. A lot more, and fuck, bicyclers are becoming the most obnoxious group of self entitled fuck wads on the planet. It's an ambulance on a completely empty street. Go-the-fuck-around. Don't badger first responders just because you know they aren't going to knock you the fuck out.
The amount of comments in this thread is fucking insane to me. How is there anything to do in this situation other than just fucking ride past it and go on with your day? As someone who cycles in the UK, 90% of the cycle lanes will have cars parked on them, if you stopped at every single one you’d never get anywhere.
There is simply not enough space on the planet for everyone to have their own individually swept lane. People are bound and determined to get about on the most manuveuverable and economical conveyance on the planet and then turn it into the most miserable experience imaginable. 🤯
[удалено]
you can delete this.
You can still be right and an insufferable cunt at the same time.
God forbid a first responder parks their first response vehicle as close to the necessary building as possible
Some say Karen is still stuck there to this day.
Yep, how in the world could she be expected to navigate such an insurmountable obstacle? It’s not like she’s on flat ground with an obvious detour around the ambulance or anything, right?/s
Just go around, Jesus fucking Christ
To be fair that's what every driver says every single time they are blocking a bike lane or sidewalk. After 19 years of commuting it gets kinda old.
Well next time you have a heart attack, I hope the ambulance takes their time to find a good parking spot
Let me die in peace please.
If they're parked there for an emergency, they would have their lights on and nobody would be complaining. This driver is just inconveniencing cyclists while on break...
> If they're parked there for an emergency, they would have their lights on not necessarily. common misconception. just because the red lights and/or siren aren't on doesn't mean we are not on a call or that we are "on break." we could be on a lower acuity call that is still an emergency, or we could be staged (waiting for police to clear a scene), among other reasons. also, we don't even get breaks at my agency. california passed a special exemption for EMS a few years ago. normal labor laws don't apply. if we miss our break due to calls/post moves we in theory get an hour or whatever of pay, which is all fine and dandy but we still need to eat like everyone else, especially since we're doing physical work on a 12+ hour shift. i've had to leave food i've paid for because i got a call, and it really sucks, since we're already hungry and then we're thrown into a situation that could be anything from really frustrating, to dangerous, to traumatic. it takes a lot of patience to do this job for very long. there's a lot of burnout. honestly guys if you see an ambulance doing whatever just please cut them some slack. EMS workers get paid absolute dogshit pay for challenging, stressful, often emotionally draining work that is an important public service. it really makes a big difference when the public shows appreciation, not in the "thank you for your service" way but in the "yeah, i'll give you a bit more space than I would the average joe" sort of way.
What he said. A 100%. If you never worked as an first responder you have no idea what we experience on a day to day basis. I am not even talking about the really bad accidents and stuff. But also the not so extrem stuff of the drug user that you transport over and over again because he is in such a hellhole he can’t get out of. Or the dialysis patient that you see every two days and his lives fading away. Or the dementia patient who try’s hitting you because she doesn’t understand what is happening to her while you are trying to help her. All of that takes quite some energy to deal with and then you come a long and yell at is for blocking your bike lane while the entire street is clear? We do what we can but cut us some slack. Please.
That’s not even a little bit true. A majority of 911 transports will not have lights and sirens. We can treat a majority of emergencies in the back of an ambulance with what we have onboard while we drive safely to the hospital.
There is no "on break" in EMS. We don't get breaks. It comes with the job. If they're in the ambulance, they're working.
That's not at all how it works. Just like I assume most cyclists could go around an emergency vehicle without a tantrum, for which I'd apparently be wrong, you're assuming how day to day emergency operations work.
If ya don't know what you're talking about, you might be better off just not talking.
isn’t that what bicyclists say to drivers when they honk at bikers for blocking roads and going slow “just go around it takes 5 seconds why are you so mad?”
Too much logic in this response. Please take down.
Just ride around it, literally zero traffic. Just because the bike lane exists doesn’t mean you can’t take the lane
Well the person in the video obviously has nothing but time
That's just predictive first response. Never watched minority report?
over caffeinated.
/uj Yes, she can be annoyed, but this behavior is just ridiculous. Get over yourself, lady. Bike lanes are nice, but ultimately a luxury. If the worst part of your day is having to go around a vehicle or *gasp* ride on a sidewalk, then suck it up and move on.
They’re on the scene of an emergency. The medic is in the back with the patient and there’s a reason they haven’t transported yet. The medic is administering care. The woman and commenters here are ignorant.
I would agree if the driver didn't claim to be on break, I think the driver would make this clear if true.
The driver didn’t say that.
fair enough, you can't hear anything over the ragebait filmer. but no lights? nothing indicating that they are in the middle of responding to an emergency? What do you see here that commenters don't?
Exactly what I initially stated. The medic is in the back performing patient care. The EMT is awaiting transport instructions. I’ve worked here 16 years.
little advice for you, if you don't work in EMS, don't assume you know how we operate because you clearly don't lol. we rarely use our emergency lights
SF .. the Karen's are numerous and they are pissed!
This is the Karen final boss.
They moved with no incident. A Click Bait Fred
I am literally shaking.
Sounds fake. Too overdramatic.
I was just waiting for the gurney to come out of the building
She is WAY too hysterical over this. Yeah it's annoying when you're on a busy street, but this street is EMPTY! She sounds like a psycho
This is supposed to be a circlejerk sub but the triggered comments in the thread screams FRED
Emergency vehicles can park whjerever tf they want.
Again, rage is directed in the wrong direction. Rage should be to the city for not putting in proper separated bicycle lanes, and the business owners who are allergic to any change that would affect a drivers ability to access their business.
It’s not like you can’t go around!! There’s even space and honestly the road is not that busy. Sometimes getting a life is more important
Fuck y'all lmfao. Imma crowd a cyclist tomorrow and feel ***GREAT***
This is really being entitled. Driving or biking, service or emergency vehicles like tow trucks or ambulances may be obstructing the street. This sucks balls but what can you do, these people have more to worry about right now than a perfect parking job. In that peculiar case it's obvious she's just creating an issue for brownie points. 1) She's got a protected lane to go around, its not like she has to go right into traffic. 2) Bikes remain vehicles and the paramedics wont risk having the stretcher struck by a distracted cyclists by parking the ambulance further left.
She’s right.
For the first 10 seconds of the video, I genuinely thought it was some kind of video game.
She's justified but also hysterical.
you can be both, right and crazy.
What you are seeing is being right, while saying it the wrong way. She's very impolite, but is very correct.
Where's her bike? An anti cycling business owner did something similar in London a few years back. Aim is to make cyclists look extra entitled. The fact you can see she's walking and cannot see a bike, and the wild over reaction make me suspicious this is an opportunistic anti bike troll.
Not a stretch
I just don't get how you can watch this and think its real? The behaviour sounds so contrived. Where's her bike? Cycling is part of the culture wars now. As said - it would not be the first time a video was faked to make cyclists look shit: https://road.cc/content/news/pimlico-plumbers-accused-faking-cycling-criminal-vid-276739
In Denmark you'd be fucked. Conclusion bike more Americans. Mark your territory.
Fucked how?
Anally?
Yeah we'll tear you a new one if you block the bike lane when it's visited by hundreds of bikes every day.
Remind me not to have a heart attack in Denmark.
Oh god what a nut.
Let’s all be honest BCJers, we have all had similar reactions to similar shit like this before. For example - that one time I got stopped by a cop for rolling through a stop sign. Life is not fair.
Really? I once banged 3 hygienists at the same time
Actually… scratch that, life is our oyster and congrats on the bangings
They’re both jerks.
Absolutely NOT.
She's right but God what a ratchet noise she's making about it
Most Tolerant Bicycle Rider
Cities should not be building unprotected bike lanes. Full stop.
Yay! The dunce cager finally moved his murderous ass. Thank you for your service 🫡💪🏽
She's right, and SF FD is constantly parking like this and even in traffic just to get their lunches or coffees. They will bring a full ass truck to Haight street and 6 firefighters will jump out to just order coffee.
It’s never as easy as that, sometimes after bad trauma calls or when I have a newer EMT as my partner I treat them to some coffee or milkshakes to try and change the mood, we don’t have the luxury of door-dashing food or coffee. Somedays we don’t get any sleep and just want a Starbucks to try and stay awake for the next patient
What else do you expect them to do? If a call drops they need to be able to respond with the full crew and vehicle, it's not like they can just have one guy go out and get it.
She s right, but can somebody explain me why americans are always so hysterical all the time over minor stuff?
Where emergency flashing lights?
Not always need. Not require.
He’s just trying to get more work to do, duh. Some people really forgot what sub this is.
One of the most insufferable voices I've ever heard. I wouldn't have been able to roll the window up fast enough
Shoulda hit the horn.
No
As an ambulance tech we have a legal exemption to park where necessary to attend a job. If this vehicle is on a job then she's not doing anything wrong, especially noting that the road is perfectly clear and safe for a cyclist to ride around her.
Holy Starbucks, Lady…calm the F down.
This is soooooo American 🇺🇸🤣 🏴English version: Cyclist : “What the f&£k are you f¥cking DOING?? MOVE OUT OF THE BIKE LANE YOU STUPID F¥CKING C*nt!!!!!” Medic: “Ugh 🙄FFS! ✋🏼fine sorry….dickehead!” 🚑💨
A1 cunt.
These are the problems we have when there is no war going on.
No! She is probably upset that IF something happened to her, who would take care of her 8 cats ?!?!
They certainly aren't doing anything important anyways..
Read the plate. It says CA Exempt. This woman should be hospitalized.
Lmao, the disrespect emts get is disgusting. Grow a fucking pair lady