And some cyclists think it's safe to jump red lights....

[User33236]

If my sensible and common sense approach to red traffic lights "gives ammunition to the anti brigade", then they are just looking for an excuse to be anti. Which in a lot of cases, they are doing just that. Fair enough if they get a little peeved at nobber boy in the video, but at 2am outside Tesco in sleepy hollow? Come on!
I think we are failing to see the difference between harmless flouting of the law, and flouting of the same law that can have fatal consequences.

A number of years ago I was riding a motorbike through Glasgow at about 5am and was stopped at a red right. A police car pulled up and gave me a right telling off for stopping and said that I should use my common sense and use rhe lights as a 'give way' when the roads were empty!

Not so sure I'll be trying that one in Manchester today

 

[Archie_tect]

The comments say one of his brake cables snapped.....................

Just one... not both of them? ...if he hadn't been going so fast on a wet road to start with- he's very lucky he didn't hit any pedestrians who could've started crossing on the green man at the junction.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Except the pedestrian crossing on a red little man is not committing any offence.

Yes, an offence thus the discussion.

Still I would look silly at a red light at 3am in an area known for light traffic. It does call for discretion. I am all for zero tolerance in an urban or city area. Firstly to show that our behaviour needs to improve. Jumping red light by cyclist is a daily occurrence in cities and its the same chaps. They would just cut thru all other cyclist waiting patiently at the red light.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Got to say that the guy in the second video takes the cake by a mile. There should be an offence for conducting a circus act in traffic without a permit.

 

[Origamist]

I've seen that chap in Manchester before...

After the front brake cable snaps, you can see he is trying to skid stop (he's on a fixed wheel) and just runs out of road. I'm pretty sure he was not deliberately trying to jump that light as the phasing makes it almost impossible at that junction and he'd likely know that...

 

[Cubist]

Yes, an offence thus the discussion.

Still I would look silly at a red light at 3am in an area known for light traffic. It does call for discretion. I am all for zero tolerance in an urban or city area. Firstly to show that our behaviour needs to improve. Jumping red light by cyclist is a daily occurrence in cities and its the same chaps. They would just cut thru all other cyclist waiting patiently at the red light.

A pedestrian crossing when the red man is showing does NOT commit an offence.

 

[jefmcg]

I was once cycling down busy Charing Cross Road in London on a sunny afternoon. There were pedestrians near the kerbs at all times, so I kept my brakes covered and had to use them several times when people stepped off the kerb without looking. Outside the National Portrait Gallery, the pedestrian lights turned red. I stopped, and let the people cross. After they crossed, I looked at both sides of the road and realised there were no people at or near the edge of the road. It was the first time in that short journey were I could proceed without risking hitting anyone. Unthinkingly I began to move, and stopped again when a beep behind me told reminded me there was a police car behind me.

I don't have a problem with the cop, and I don't have a problem with obeying lights - anything else leads to chaos. But when cycling in a pedestrian heavy area, obeying lights would not be top of my list of things that lead to a safe journey.

 

[Arrowfoot]

A pedestrian crossing when the red man is showing does NOT commit an offence.

I was referring to the discussion which is about cyclist jumping the red light and committing an offence. Not the pedestrian crossing a red light which is not an offence. Even if it was , you would not catch a pedestrian waiting for the light to turn green in a deserted road.

 

[swee'pea99]

I was referring to the discussion which is about cyclist jumping the red light and committing an offence. Not the pedestrian crossing a red light which is not an offence. Even if it was , you would not catch a pedestrian waiting for the light to turn green in a deserted road.

My sis did. She happened to be in a one-horse town in the middle of Sweden at 2 in the morning, and watched in amazement as a group of Swedes emerged from a restaurant, approached the pedestrian crossing, where the lights were against them, and waited at the kerb for the lights to change. This on a road which, as my sis said, at peak time probably has several cars an hour. That, in Sweden, is the law. And the law is the law. Right?

 

[summerdays]

I was referring to the discussion which is about cyclist jumping the red light and committing an offence. Not the pedestrian crossing a red light which is not an offence. Even if it was , you would not catch a pedestrian waiting for the light to turn green in a deserted road.

I've seen plenty of others wait, my daughter for one took a long time to develop her road sense but would wait for the lights to tell her it was safe, others such as Mums with young children do because they are teaching their children to look out for the Green Man before checking to see if it is safe.

And I see quite a few cyclists at Toucan crossings waiting when I go as I know the light sequencing on my commute. I must admit I'm not sure of the legal status of crossing a toucan crossing without waiting for the Green bike but then I don't have to stop the traffic and just go in the gaps.

 

[Arrowfoot]

My sis did. She happened to be in a one-horse town in the middle of Sweden at 2 in the morning, and watched in amazement as a group of Swedes emerged from a restaurant, approached the pedestrian crossing, where the lights were against them, and waited at the kerb for the lights to change. This on a road which, as my sis said, at peak time probably has several cars an hour. That, in Sweden, is the law. And the law is the law. Right?

I've seen plenty of others wait, my daughter for one took a long time to develop her road sense but would wait for the lights to tell her it was safe, others such as Mums with young children do because they are teaching their children to look out for the Green Man before checking to see if it is safe.

And I see quite a few cyclists at Toucan crossings waiting when I go as I know the light sequencing on my commute. I must admit I'm not sure of the legal status of crossing a toucan crossing without waiting for the Green bike but then I don't have to stop the traffic and just go in the gaps.

It does make for a good discussion. Maybe zero tolerance is the way to go with changes made to traffic lights configuration in areas of less traffic especially at off-peak times. Collectively it does make for greater good.

 

[subaqua]

I think that being selective about the laws that you choose to obey is a bit of a slippery slope. Those who suggest that the rider was gambling solely with his own safety slightly miss the point. If he'd been a second earlier and had got pancaked by the bus, there would be a bus driver spending the rest of his life wondering if he could have done any better to avoid his death. That's selfish.

The guy was an utter nobber. Bring on the ridicule.

and then there would be the nobbers saying " the bus driver should have made sure it was clear" , "Green doesn't mean go "

on the route Marky gave me throuigh the Olympic park there is a set of lights at the end of temple mills lane by chobham school. i happily sit at the red there even though i can see it is clear. I could dismount and run across as a ped but cant be bothered. delays me by oooh a minute at most. Life more valuable than a minute

 

[anothersam]

Except the pedestrian crossing on a red little man is not committing any offence.

Snapped that cycling through London years ago. The street, between the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square, no longer exists; what a shame if the guy had been hit just because he got there 10 years too soon.

 

[lee1980sim]

That isn't jumping the lights as it is deemed not to be working properly, however you ought to report it so they could adjust the settings for other cyclists. I had a set which took me about 2 years to get adjusted, and even now I tend to look to see if there are cars coming up behind me that will automatically trigger them out of habit.

Nah if I report them that means I'll have to wait, they're on a roundabout, I do the backwards look then treat it as a roundabout without lights, obviously any "normal" time of day there's nice helpful cars to change the light for me

 

[Hip Priest]

What about the poor bus passenger sitting in the seat where he hit! That'd spoil your journey I think!

If you're on a bus, I think your journey has already been spoiled.