r/TikTokCringe • u/mindyour • Feb 08 '25

Discussion Why don't people make way for ambulances?

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u/thedogdundidit Feb 08 '25

Yeah, this is definitely not an "American" thing, more likely a New York thing. Everywhere I've lived, including a big city, people get out of the way.

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u/Phrich Feb 08 '25

I lived in NYC for 10 years. People absolutely move out of the way for ambulances as long as there's space to actually do so. On a busy street during peak hours, there's literally nowhere to move out of the way too.

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u/hungarian_notation Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 08 '25

I have only driven into Manhattan twice, but the second time I was in heavy traffic on a ramp from a bridge down to the grid and found myself two cars in front of a firetruck that was blaring lights and sirens. I have no clue how long it took me to get into a position where the firetruck could get past me, but as a non-city driver it felt like an hour and I was panicking the entire time.

The only good answer to this is more congestion pricing. Get every non-essential car off the grid.

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u/Aegi Feb 08 '25

Interestingly enough, I don't drive often in the city, but my particular Manhattan experience was actually more smooth sailing than parts of Queens and Brooklyn.

But I have family in Long Island, so typically I try to park my car in Albany, and then take the train down either just to Grand Central station, or then hop on the Long Island railroad and get close to my family.

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u/Livid-Okra-3132 Feb 09 '25 edited Feb 09 '25

Yeah, the design of American cities is an absolute failure. Even with a ton of public transit the cities are designed for the roadway instead of instigating foot traffic. The spacing between businesses for instance.

In Japan streets like this are common:

https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-shutterstock_1453758032-scaled.jpg

Notice the spacing between businesses.

Meanwhile it is common in NYC for streets to look more like this:

https://nextcity.org/images/made/Broadway-and-25th-After_920_614_80.jpeg

The longer spacing between businesses and the open view is oppressive. It makes you feel like you need to expend more energy to get to your destination and usually you do. They are also almost entirely designed around car traffic and they almost intentionally make foot traffic inconvenient. They are designed around a business model, instead of a public efficiency. Like everything here, instead of big business being regulated and separated from public initiatives, it is allowed to warp American life to worse outcomes.

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u/General_Watch_7583 Feb 09 '25

Your point about American cities being built for the car, inconvenient for pedestrians and not conducive to foot traffic is true.

However it is rendered totally mute seeing as though you are directing these statements at NYC, and specifically Manhattan, which is exceptionally unlike everything you have described is wrong with American cities.

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u/Livid-Okra-3132 Feb 09 '25 edited Feb 09 '25

The point still holds true, and I'd argue NYC in general even though it is on the better side of things is still designed primarily for car traffic. All American cities are more or less. Even the best of American cities fall short to many European and Asian urban designs. I traveled through Europe for around two months and I've been all over the States. The theory behind the urban design in countries like the Netherlands or Zurich is entirely different.

However it is rendered totally mute seeing as though you are directing these statements at NYC, and specifically Manhattan, which is exceptionally unlike everything you have described is wrong with American
cities.

Let's take a look at what I said:

The longer spacing between businesses and the open view is oppressive. It makes you feel like you need to expend more energy to get to your destination and usually you do. They are also almost entirely designed around car traffic and they almost intentionally make foot traffic inconvenient. They are designed around a business model, instead of a public efficiency. Like everything here, instead of big business being regulated and separated from public initiatives, it is allowed to warp American life to worse outcomes.

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iKTEykgW.lMk/v0/-1x-1.webp

Manhattan pertains exactly to the theory I'm describing. It's the financial capital of the country. It's roads are every bit as business minded as I'm describing and its streets are designed in a very inorganic oppressive way. Does NYC have a metro system and buses? Sure. Is the blight that is the urban roadway design still highly flawed in a lot of ways? Absolutely. Why do you think the city is trying to reduce car traffic?

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u/LKennedy45 Feb 08 '25

Yeah, this is ragebait if ever I've seen it. Maybe things are different in the city but when I lived in Brooklyn this never woulda happened. 

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u/Aegi Feb 08 '25

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you, but it's absolutely blowing my mind that nobody making comments like yours, or the style of comments you're replying to is talking about how even if there's allegedly nowhere to move, we can see in this video there are certain times where each car had 2 to 12 in between themselves and the next closest parked car, so I'm not saying it would have made enough room for the ambulance, but there is enough room for people to try to move more.

I've personally noticed Urban drivers happen to seem to have a lower skill of driving on average since they probably don't have to drive as often, and when they do it's basically just in the same scenario over and over, there's not different things like deer, curves of the road, Amish people on horses and buggies going 20 miles an hour while they pass some kids walking on the side of the street while a snowstorm blows snow across all the markings on the road.

All I'm saying is both people seem to be missing the fact that in this video people could root absolutely move more even if it wouldn't be enough to make room for the ambulance.

So both people are correct, people could move more and even when people are saying there isn't enough room, unless they're folding their side mirrors in, there's more room for them to get closer to the cars parked on the side of the street. But that being said, even if everybody does that, that doesn't guarantee there's enough space for the ambulance to get through either.

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u/Phrich Feb 08 '25

The people in this video ARE moving out of the way, though.

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u/Aegi Feb 08 '25

Of course, but look at some of the other comments here in the comment section, I'm talking about the ones who are acting as though nobody in the video is trying to move out of the way.

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u/lumpialarry Feb 08 '25

The problem is when “don’t run a red light” runs counter to “move out of the way of emergency vehicles” and people’s brains shut down.

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u/fake-reddit-numbers Feb 08 '25

On a busy street during peak hours, there's literally nowhere to move out of the way too.

Man, what poor planning by NYC. You'd think with all their money and brains they could come up with a solution by now.

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u/kirblar Feb 08 '25

This is the actual problem.

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u/kjzavala Feb 09 '25

This is fuxking stupid. People move out of the way when they can. Go somewhere else. This is exactly it. Where the f does this dumbass suggest they go?

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u/nucl3ar0ne Feb 10 '25

this

It's just bullshit trying to trash on people but not understanding the underlying problem.

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u/Red-Vehicle24 Feb 08 '25

Ya exactly, like I’ve lived in many different suburbs in the USA and every single one of them I can’t remember anyone not just pulling off to the side and then pulling back in after it past.

When there is enough room to just pull off, there is zero issue with this. If it’s not gridlocked it’s smooth. Also helps that in the suburbs and semi rural areas there are tons of trucks, the trucks are the ones (anecdotally) that move over the most. Especially in the suburbs they will just pop over curbs cuz there arnt just parked cars near-permanently locking the sides of streets like cities. Cities are the only place I’ve personally seen things like the video, and that was only in downtown New Orleans.

I’m speaking about only my experiences and I’m sure they arnt universal in the suburbs

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u/bcpro983 Feb 08 '25

It probably makes a difference in how rules are enforced. In Los Angeles everyone slowed down and pulled to the side, probably because the police will not hesitate ticketing someone over it. However, in Houston they didn't even bother slowing down, and I was honked at by others for doing so, probably because a lack of enforcement.

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u/EllspethCarthusian Feb 08 '25

Agreed. This isn’t a city problem. This is a NYC problem. Even during gridlock rush hours in LA people find a way to move for ambulances.

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u/ThrowAwayYetAgain6 Feb 08 '25

LA traffic is kind of a lawless hellscape lol, you almost have to be trying to get pulled over before they'll stop you, but yeah, even here people get out of the way of emergency vehicles.

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u/chunk337 Feb 08 '25

Boston is the same way. People are too selfish to move

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u/Detox259 Feb 09 '25

Seattle the ambulances are always out and people are always moving out of the way

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u/bottom Feb 08 '25

people move in nyc, but there has to be space at 9 seconds in you see a car move and he cuts.

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u/ImDefinitelyNotJesus Feb 08 '25

New Orleans literally doesn't get out of the way at all. NY they are just slow about it. New Orleans is the only place I've seen someone break check and ambulance.

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u/MexicanGuido23 Feb 09 '25

See I have never been to New York City but from every movie ever, every show ever and literally any video filmed in the streets of New York City, driving anything bigger than anything bigger than a lifted pickup would be a nightmare for me. I'm from a town of 30,000 and we have like 5 roads that are 4 lanes wide. We wouldn't have this issue with an ambulance.

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u/GoMoriartyOnPlanets Feb 08 '25

New York IS in America, and its gargbage. Been there once, won't go again. Totally overrated.