CS7 Blue cycle route London - The Police are watching you

[Arch]

They do both in the City. At one set of lights popular for RLJing, I came through one morning and they'd pulled three or four cyclists, two cars, a van and a bus all at the same time!

Oh, I'd love to have seen that!

 

[Bandini]

This morning I got pulled over after jumping a red right.... the road was perfectly clear I was in no danger to myself or any other road users but I blatently jumped the light and got fined £30!! I was in the wrong shouldn't of jumped the lights blah blah sh*t happens.... or dose it!

The copper tells me boris spent X amount of money on these blues lanes blah blah we are here patroling the entire route for the next 6 weeks - so basically they are picking up anyone who jumps lights etc and giving them a fine. I continued my journey to see 2 other cyclists pulled over by police officers on motorbikes issuing tickets to them.

Lets face it we all jump lights - I do it when I know its safe I take the risk and jump them to save time.... just like every other cyclist - everyone knows this. Over six weeks the police are going to pick up bucket loads of cash in fines. It's unjust, it feels like to me they are just recovering money spent on the blue cycle lanes and now they are just targeting cyclists to foot the bill!

We all commute to work for our own reasons, but in doing so we are all helping the environment etc etc etc the government try to promite this by setting up the cycle lanes but then why police them in such a way that they are giving with one hand and then taking straight back with the other!

Please any one who uses this cycle route be very carefull for the next 6 weeks and stop at the lights, I don't know where that copper was hiding because I didn't see him at the lights but he saw me. They are out there to get you!!!

I always stop at lights, mainly because it gives cyclists a bad name if you don't. No offence, but you earnt that ticket, just like the motorists who moan about speeding cameras earnt theirs.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Oh, I'd love to have seen that!

Hopefully you will next time. I'm having brackets made up for the POV1.5 on both trike and Brommie, so then I'll be able to video my rides as a matter of routine.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I used to be a 'safe RLJer'. That is, most of the time I didn't RLJ, and would almost always come to a halt first, but would then sometimes proceed through a red. For example, at a pedestrian crossing, I'd stop to let peds cross, then set off as soon as the crossing was clear.

The argument that changed my attitude (and thus my behaviour) was someone, on here I think, arguing that if we want to be treated as traffic, we have to be seen to be behaving as traffic - and that means waiting at red lights even if it would be 100% safe to proceed.

 

[hackbike 666]

I used to be a 'safe RLJer'. That is, most of the time I didn't RLJ, and would almost always come to a halt first, but would then sometimes proceed through a red. For example, at a pedestrian crossing, I'd stop to let peds cross, then set off as soon as the crossing was clear.

The argument that changed my attitude (and thus my behaviour) was someone, on here I think, arguing that if we want to be treated as traffic, we have to be seen to be behaving as traffic - and that means waiting at red lights even if it would be 100% safe to proceed.

That may be bo55ox but that's exactly how I see it...so I whip out my mobile phone at the first opportunity.(Not really)

 

[Peter10]

In the job I do, I have seen cyclists killed on the roads because of them jumping lights. You take your life into your hands when you do it. I would much prefer a £30 fine and a strong word in my ear, which may make me think about doing it again than being hit by a car or truck. One particular person I have seen hit said the road was totally clear, but he didn't see the motorbike doing 40mph coming from the left. Both were lucky.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Lets face it we all jump lights - I do it when I know its safe I take the risk and jump them to save time.... just like every other cyclist - everyone knows this.

So why do you run red lights? All it saves you is a fraction of 1 minute. If you're in such a tearing hurry to get to your destination, perhaps you should either leave earlier or re-evaluate your time-management priorities?

I'm with some of the others on this thread: you've only yourself to blame, plus you're causing other cyclists to bear the brunt of aggression from those motorists too shortsighted to see that all cyclists aren't the same.

 

[summerdays]

I'm a proliferate red light jumper.

I almost never enter an ASL via the little gutter death channel, preferring to ride straight into it (even if I'm first to a red light) rather than change lanes to the left lane, go through the little dotted bit, and then ride back across the ASL to the ahead lane again.

But you can't have your cake and eat it. This is breaking the law, to exactly the same degree as riding right through - the law only has one offence, for failing to stop at the first line when the light is not green.

I admit that I enter the ASL from the right mostly as well - but sometimes they don't have a feeder lane at all - I wish they would change the design or rules for them to make it legal.


Does having an ASL and seeing lots of bikes stopped in it help to change drivers perceptions of cyclists (which is what I hope) or does it provide a good point to RLJ from in the middle of a red (rather than a very late amber)?

 

[Jezston]

Most of the ASLs I stop in have no feeder lane. ASLs could really do with legal clarification.

 

[CopperBrompton]

No legal clarification is required: it is already perfectly legal for cyclists to cross the first stop line:

Highway Code Rule 178:

Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line

(My emphasis)

The requirement to stop at the first stop line is specific to motor vehicles, it does not apply to cyclists.

 

[2Loose]

No legal clarification is required: it is already perfectly legal for cyclists to cross the first stop line:

Highway Code Rule 178:

Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line

(My emphasis)

The requirement to stop at the first stop line is specific to motor vehicles, it does not apply to cyclists.

But surely this only applies when there is a second stop line too, as in ASL?

 

[CopperBrompton]

But surely this only applies when there is a second stop line too, as in ASL?

Of course, which is what the rule says.

Many cyclists seem to think they cannot cross the first stop line at ASL junctions, and thus must enter from the feeder-lane on the left. This is not the case.

 

[benb]

No legal clarification is required: it is already perfectly legal for cyclists to cross the first stop line:

Highway Code Rule 178:

Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line

(My emphasis)

The requirement to stop at the first stop line is specific to motor vehicles, it does not apply to cyclists.

True as far as it goes, but it is illegal for cyclists to filter into the ASL (i.e. passing traffic) by any means other than the feeder lane on the left. If there is an ASL without a feeder, then it's illegal for a cyclist to enter if it would mean filtering at all. In other words, you can filter up to the first stop line, but can only then enter the ASL by means of the filter lane. If the lane is completely clear, then you can enter it and stop at the second stop line.

ASLs are a good idea, but as with most cycling infrastructure in the UK, are muddled and frequently badly thought out.

 

[crumpetman]

True as far as it goes, but it is illegal for cyclists to filter into the ASL (i.e. passing traffic) by any means other than the feeder lane on the left. If there is an ASL without a feeder, then it's illegal for a cyclist to enter if it would mean filtering at all. In other words, you can filter up to the first stop line, but can only then enter the ASL by means of the filter lane. If the lane is completely clear, then you can enter it and stop at the second stop line.

ASLs are a good idea, but as with most cycling infrastructure in the UK, are muddled and frequently badly thought out.

That sounds crazy! I use a couple of ASLs where there is no filter lane but when there is a lot of traffic I just filter to the front and wait in the ASL. It just doesn't make sense to me. If there was no ASL then I could still filter all the way to the front so what difference does it make to go into the ASL from say the middle of two lands of traffic facing the same direction?

 

[400bhp]

True as far as it goes, but it is illegal for cyclists to filter into the ASL (i.e. passing traffic) by any means other than the feeder lane on the left. If there is an ASL without a feeder, then it's illegal for a cyclist to enter if it would mean filtering at all. In other words, you can filter up to the first stop line, but can only then enter the ASL by means of the filter lane. If the lane is completely clear, then you can enter it and stop at the second stop line.

Can you show me where this information comes from?