Is this an acceptable RLJ?

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I was inviting you to imagine the driver's possible thoughts. You had no intention to RLJ until you thought they were going to. Perhaps they thought the same way.

And once again, someone in front RLJ'ing is not a mitigating circumstance
Getting out of the way for self-preservation of someone who is accellerating towards you hard IS

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I'm not offering any mitigation for the driver, only inviting you to consider their potential thought processes and they way in which you might have reinforced their original choice of action.

Not a chance

My REACTION was a reaction to the hard accelleration. The decision to run the light had already been taken.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

It's OK, I'd worked that out already.

Okay let's look at it shall we?

2 vehicles approaching a changing light

As the light begins to change, The one behind accellerates noticably

As a CONSEQUENCE of this action, the cyclist in front REACTS by aborting any slowing/braking in order not to be hit


How can the consequential reaction possibly be the cause of the initial action?

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

I do similar pretty much everyday. Hey ho.

The location of my law breaking is at the top of a road which has 3 lanes and traffic lights. RH lane is for turning right and has its own filter light. 2 LH lanes are for turning left. Round the corner to the left the road opens up to 3 lanes (4 slightly further down the road) where the 2 left hand lanes are for going straight on, while the outer one(s) are for bearing right down a separate road (which I need to do).

So, primary position in middle lane at the first set of lights... to then go left round the corner and take primary in the third lane to bear right until it opens to four lanes and cars can get past safely... down to the next set of lights about 50m away.

The first road is usually chocker in the morning so there's generally no "slotting in" option... but I will do so if there's an opportunity. I usually go past all the traffic and slowly cross the solid white line whilst leaving space for peds to cross the road behind me. This puts me about 3 - 5m ahead of the cars but in clear view and where I can see the lights easily (on opposite side of road). It is also far enough from the main carriageway which runs across the top to be nowhere near interfering with the traffic there.

It's safer for me, lets peds cross, and allows me to set off without holding cars up (it's a little rise immediately after the lights which I hit after I've clipped in and got going).

I am so naughty!

 

[Dan B]

People who pull out way ahead towards junctions seem odd to me. It doesn't really give you much of an advantage towards anything.

Gives me a great opportunity to get clipped in and pedalling before there's a taxi driver up my arse revving his engine, and to be clear of the junction before he tries to overtake.

Of course, double-sided pedals do make that a lot easier too, but if for whatever reason I'm riding the bike that doesn't have them then a decent head start makes the whole exercise much less fraught

 

[gaz]

Okay let's look at it shall we?

2 vehicles approaching a changing light

As the light begins to change, The one behind accellerates noticably

As a CONSEQUENCE of this action, the cyclist in front REACTS by aborting any slowing/braking in order not to be hit


How can the consequential reaction possibly be the cause of the initial action?

That is clearly covered under the law though, which states that you may pass through amber if it is not safe to stop.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

That is clearly covered under the law though, which states that you may pass through amber if it is not safe to stop.

I passed through red

 

[Iain p]

This really is much a do about nothing.

Live and let live.

Must admit though, i do like it when people start to talk about the law as if they have NEVER broken one, not even a little one .

 

[400bhp]

I do similar pretty much everyday. Hey ho.

The location of my law breaking is at the top of a road which has 3 lanes and traffic lights. RH lane is for turning right and has its own filter light. 2 LH lanes are for turning left. Round the corner to the left the road opens up to 3 lanes (4 slightly further down the road) where the 2 left hand lanes are for going straight on, while the outer one(s) are for bearing right down a separate road (which I need to do).

So, primary position in middle lane at the first set of lights... to then go left round the corner and take primary in the third lane to bear right until it opens to four lanes and cars can get past safely... down to the next set of lights about 50m away.

The first road is usually chocker in the morning so there's generally no "slotting in" option... but I will do so if there's an opportunity. I usually go past all the traffic and slowly cross the solid white line whilst leaving space for peds to cross the road behind me. This puts me about 3 - 5m ahead of the cars but in clear view and where I can see the lights easily (on opposite side of road). It is also far enough from the main carriageway which runs across the top to be nowhere near interfering with the traffic there.

It's safer for me, lets peds cross, and allows me to set off without holding cars up (it's a little rise immediately after the lights which I hit after I've clipped in and got going).

I am so naughty!

Talbot Rd?

Horrible junction.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Talbot Rd?

Horrible junction.

Top of Davyhulme Road East, turning left onto Chester Road to bear right down Talbot Road.. aye, not the best bit of road in the world!!

 

[potsy]

Sometimes I will filter to the front of a queue at which I know there will be an ASL, and when I get there find it is occupied by minicabs or scooters. In such circumstances I really have no compunction about stopping ahead of them if it looks like a safe place to be (and not impeding pedestrians), even if that does mean I'm over the line. "RLJ is RLJ" is a fine position to take, but it's clearly not one that e.g. the Police subscribe to, or else they'd be enforcing the law against the said minicabs and scooters intead of emulating them.

Happened to me last night, only it was a police car not a taxi.
I did think of going in front but decided against it

 

[benb]

There seems to me to be a world of difference between a cyclist barrelling through a junction on a red light, and one stopping but positioning themselves forward of the stop line for their own safety.

 

[benb]

What I am suggesting is that the driver of the car may have made a decision that they were going if you did, but would stop if you did. You decided that they were definitely going and so you had to to get out of the way. In doing so you cleared the way for their action,

The driver's actions certainly raised the distinct possibility that they were not going to stop.
If in doubt in that situation, it's safer to assume they are not going to stop. I'd rather run a red light than be run down.

 

[gambatte]

Dan B, on 19 October 2011 - 09:53:16, said:

Sometimes I will filter to the front of a queue at which I know there will be an ASL, and when I get there find it is occupied by minicabs or scooters. In such circumstances I really have no compunction about stopping ahead of them if it looks like a safe place to be (and not impeding pedestrians), even if that does mean I'm over the line. "RLJ is RLJ" is a fine position to take, but it's clearly not one that e.g. the Police subscribe to, or else they'd be enforcing the law against the said minicabs and scooters intead of emulating them.

Happened to me last night, only it was a police car not a taxi.
I did think of going in front but decided against it

+1
In fact I'll sometimes make a point of getting to the front and maybe even setting off a bit steadier....

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Oh, what have I started!?