Most cyclist red light jumpers do it not to save time, but because it's often safer. So, they may often go through red after noting that the sequence on the other side has gone to amber. This gives an opportunity to get away from accelerating vehicles behind, sometimes avoiding left hooks or other danger.
One red light that I go through is a cross roads that has an all red phase with pedestrian crossings across all four roads. Having usually filtered past as many as fifty cars to, when it turns green the drivers are impatient to get away, I end up sitting in the middle of the junction waiting to turn right which feels feels very precarious. I usually don't get chance to turn until the light until late amber or red (due to oncoming traffic continuing to flow through on amber), which then puts me in danger of collision with the traffic coming the oppisite way. I also note that if I've had to wait to turn red that I'm often subject to some very close passes, in fact one driver recently tried to overtake me as we turned through the junction and almost knocked me off. I'm guessing that having to wait behind a cyclist has wound them up.
If there aren't any pedestrians crossing at the all red (for road traffic) phase, I go through. Much safer and no one has been put at risk or inconvenienced.
I'm not disobeying the law just because it suits me to, but bcause it's far safer for me to do so.
Does that make me a bitch?
