Friday 31 August 2007

On Yer Bike - Cycling Emergency Services

York was one of the first cities in the UK to introduce paramedics on bicycles. It was proposed that they could manouver around the York streets of the city centre and get to a casualty quicker than an ambulance. This has proved to be the case and they are worth their weight in gold. Like all jobs though, there is paperwork to be done and this paramedic was catching up with his sitting on the bench in Goodramgate next to the National Trust shop.


With the successful introduction of cycling paramedics the police realised that it might be a good idea to follow suit and here we see a pair of policemen on cycles after having loaded an abandoned bike into a transit van. Cycle theft is a problem in York with thieves taking bikes and then later dumping them unlocked around the city. There has also been spates of cycles being stolen and then broken up for spare parts.

So far the fire service has not joined in the act of emergency services on cycles. I suppose they couldn't carry enough water on a bike!

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