Have you ever watched a fire truck stuck in gridlock traffic blasting its siren? The law states that cars are required to clear a path for emergency vehicles, but in a congested city there's often no room for drivers to get out of the way.

The City of Liverpool in England has come up with a novel solution, and is testing a couple of specially equipped firefighting motorcycles. The bikes can be deployed when a full response from a fleet of full-sized engines isn't required, such as small car fires or so-called 'anti-social' fires.

The bikes will carry both a tank of water, and a supply of fire extinguishing foam, and the riders will wear special suits that are designed to work for both riding and firefighting.

This seems like a brilliant idea, but I wonder how it would work here in New York where they always seem to send out the entire fleet on every call.

Neatorama, via The Independent