The four robbers weren’t far away from downtown London. So while traffic would be to their advantage – slowing down upcoming back-up, civilians walking on the pavement would slow  them  down. Thankfully, the closest ones all ran away when the shoot-out began, giving them enough room to run without being hindered. However, not having civilians around meant the police were a lot braver. The surviving constables with firearms did not hesitate to try to avenge their fallen comrades, firing in their direction to try to hit them.