CS7 Blue cycle route London - The Police are watching you

[ufkacbln]

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 roads 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 motorists 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 driver - 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 road networks and now they are just targeting motorists to foot the bill!

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!!!

 

[ufkacbln]

Foundan organisation called "SafeLights" and prove how dangerous lights are because you have to look out for them instead of looking at the road

 

[Andrew_P]

I have jumped an empty pedistrian lights, I have also bumped up on to the pavement and gone round using the green man on empty pavements and no cars. I feel dirty now. At least thread has deciphered what not seems pretty obivous RLJ couldn't figure it out.

 

[summerdays]

If you are really desperate not to wait for the lights to change - and just occasionally I am that desperate ... then hop off your bike ... walk it across the junction and get back on the other side.... its only really worth it when you are really really late, or really big queue in a narrow road that you can't filter to the front.

Occasionally pedestrians at pedestrians lights tell me to go anyway - but I've normally stopped by then anyway.

 

[hackbike 666]

I think i've put myself under too much stress in the past by just not giving myself enough time...or it's just too tight to get to work...so I have found on occasions that time is tight and I have had to rush...although I have never been a RLJer...When I was ill and struggling on the bike for two years I started giving myself an extra fifteen minutes to commute...Now I am better I still give myself the same amount of time as when I was ill....meaning I have time to park the bike...change/get a drink and sit down/chat for fifteen minutes before I go out on my first job.

 

[BSRU]

RLJ's are missing out on the excellent workout from starting from lots of standing starts.

 

[Matthames]

RLJ's are missing out on the excellent workout from starting from lots of standing starts.

Not to mention trying to impress people with track stands as you wait for the lights to change

 

[Bird Brain]

I jumped a red traffic light or was that flew over it.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I was wondering if the original post was a slight p**s take, but, anyway.

I, as a rule don't jump red lights because I feel that, with people in vehicles watching me, I should keep my dignity and be seen to be doing the right thing.

That said, I have on VERY rare occasions jumped reds, BUT, what I am talking about is at a completely deserted junction at about 4am with myself not being able to trigger the traffic light sensors, and, to be fair, I do stop and wait for a while in the vain hope that the lights change

 

[summerdays]

That said, I have on VERY rare occasions jumped reds, BUT, what I am talking about is at a completely deserted junction at about 4am with myself not being able to trigger the traffic light sensors, and, to be fair, I do stop and wait for a while in the vain hope that the lights change

That isn't jumping a red light - if you are unable to trigger the light then the light isn't deemed to be working - for you - and you can jump the light. I have several around my area that I can't trigger but normally there is another vehicle and that's ok. The one where its really annoying is one where if I don't trigger it, it leaves me on red, but gives oncoming traffic able to go straight ahead and turn right (normally the right turns have to wait for traffic coming from my direction) - so the first I know that it hasn't been triggered its already too late to try jumping the light. And yes I have reported that I can't trigger those signals.

 

[Matthames]

I was wondering if the original post was a slight p**s take, but, anyway.

I, as a rule don't jump red lights because I feel that, with people in vehicles watching me, I should keep my dignity and be seen to be doing the right thing.

That said, I have on VERY rare occasions jumped reds, BUT, what I am talking about is at a completely deserted junction at about 4am with myself not being able to trigger the traffic light sensors, and, to be fair, I do stop and wait for a while in the vain hope that the lights change

Those lights I hate with a passion. There is one of those near where I live that is ironically on a national cycle route. If there are no cars around to set them off, you are left stranded on the junction. Your only real option then is to get off the bike and use the ped crossing instead.

You can make it more likely for those sensors to pick you up if you ride along the lines of the loop that is buried under the tarmac. Another neat trick is to fit a magnet to the bottom of your bottom bracket.

 

[alasdairgf]

That isn't jumping a red light - if you are unable to trigger the light then the light isn't deemed to be working - for you - and you can jump the light.

Is this the law? Or simply common sense? (Common sense unfortunately not being admissible in court, I believe...!)

 

[Flyingfox]

As a car driver and cyclist, I wonder what cyclists would say if I drove up to a red light in my car and went through it because I saw the junction clear and would be of no danger to anyone. The majority would say I should be fined and have points deducted because I broke the law. Rules are there for all road users not just those with engines.

 

[summerdays]

Is this the law? Or simply common sense? (Common sense unfortunately not being admissible in court, I believe...!)

I was told that it was within the law to treat the lights as broken if I can't trigger them - as they are not set up correctly and therefore not working - which doesn't mean sailing through them ... but going cautiously as drivers from other directions may not be expecting you to go.



There is another set of lights that I do intentionally jump the last 3 seconds on red - as the traffic engineers in their infinite wisdom have set the cycle lights to go green to turn right down the A38 to be on at exactly the same time as traffic joining from the cyclist's immediate right join as well - except half of them are crossing the A38. So most car drivers don't realise that you have a green light and that you are technically on the main road just before them and assume you are jumping the light when you aren't. If I jump the light just before it goes green - I avoid the carnage that can result. I have complained and so have the local cycle campaign.

 

[marinyork]

As a car driver and cyclist, I wonder what cyclists would say if I drove up to a red light in my car and went through it because I saw the junction clear and would be of no danger to anyone. The majority would say I should be fined and have points deducted because I broke the law. Rules are there for all road users not just those with engines.

Er, motorists do do this and do it much more often than cyclists do!