No respect for traffic lights

[hoopdriver]

Dont agree with jumping reds but im with you about advanced positioning for the reason of dodgy cars,don't know if im right or wrong though.It's not to gain advantage,because I wait for the lights to change,but alas I dont make it a priority to get to the front anymore.



Some of those were shocking.I like the last one with the community officer picking nose.

The nose picking kind of sums it all up

 

[hoopdriver]

If its safe to skip a red.
I skip a Red.

They want me to obey road laws?
Make the roads safe for bikes.

I hardly know where to begin with that one. Let's start with this: at what point on the safety scale would you deign to start obeying the traffic laws? A perfect world only? Or would you settle for something less?

 

[Hip Priest]

More cycle lanes. Bus drivers trained to not try and kill me.
Also when I said road laws. I just meant Pedestrian crossings, I don't go flying in between lanes running into on coming traffic or go thought red's at junctions...

Indeed.

Much safer to put pedestrians at risk than take your chances against motorised traffic.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

If its safe to skip a red.
I skip a Red.

They want me to obey road laws?
Make the roads safe for bikes.

Maybe your type is the reason why cycling groups have such a hard job persuading the authorities into providing safer facilities. Why waste money on a bunch of scofflaws who care not a jot for the laws which apply to all road users?

You want safe roads for bikes?
Obey the road laws.

GC

 

[Bexmay]

I think there are times when it is both safe to do so and understandable. Yesterday (just after I picked my new bike up ) I came out of the shop and was faced with a red light on a bus lane filter. I was going to turn left up a rather steep hill. No pedestrians about no cars but a bus coming up behind me. Going through the red light would get me someway up the hill (which I knew I was going to struggle with) before the buses would come though. I would have had time to get off my bike walk round the light and get back on but that would be silly. Also if I did wheel my bike the meter over the line i'd just be a pedestrian so whats the problem with me riding over the line?

I think theres a time an a place for it. I'll always wait for pedestrians (even when there is no traffic lights i'll let people across) and i'll always respect lights at busy junctions.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

If its safe to skip a red.
I skip a Red.

They want me to obey road laws?
Make the roads safe for bikes.

Well the roads aren't really safe for anybody else, so using your logic I'll go get in my ton and half 3 series and go do what I please.

I've been cycling over 30 years, never run a red, and never felt I've been in danger because of it.
Anything else is just an excuse from people that can't be ar$ed to stop/start.

I do agree with Gretzky that the powers that be should consider a 'left on red' allowance.

 

[hoopdriver]

Indeed.

Much safer to put pedestrians at risk than take your chances against motorised traffic.

Brave man

 

[Hip Priest]

Brave man

Sarcasm isn't your strong suit is it?

 

[Gretzky's Office]

Maybe your type is the reason why cycling groups have such a hard job persuading the authorities into providing safer facilities. Why waste money on a bunch of scofflaws who care not a jot for the laws which apply to all road users?


GC

You could apply that argument to all road users though. Why waste money on new roads for cars when they all break the current speed limits anyway?

 

[Nihal]

Look,i thought we were cyclists

Edit:what i meant was,normal rules don't apply to us

 

[GrasB]

Only time you're justified in jumping a red light is when you think the vehicle behind won't stop. Every time I've felt the need to jump a red light it's been accompanied with an exit stage left, because there's no way in hell I'm going to cross a potentially moving stream of traffic. If the motorist behind want's to be in a T-bone accident then they can go ahead, but I really don't want to be in that place.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

You could apply that argument to all road users though. Why waste money on new roads for cars when they all break the current speed limits anyway?

It isn't the same.

Cycling still suffers from the stereotype of being largely made up of lawless riders. Funding for cycling specific facilities on the road network is a tiny fraction of the overall budget directed at motorists, and roads expenditure for motorists is not seen as a special concession in the same way that spending for safer cycling is.

Motorists don't have this image problem or meet the resistance suffered by cycling campaigners. We are an easily identifiable, minority group and any poor behaviour is quickly picked up and applied to the group as a whole. Sadly, there are still a lot of cyclists who fail to grasp that.

GC

 

[Linford]

A fair few drivers will take chances on a changing light, but I can't recall seeing one totally ignoring a red and just pretending it is green. It is probably as big an irritant to see a cyclist run a red when half way i its cycle, as seeing a pedestrian step out into the road and stroll across in front of a line of traffic after that traffic has been given the green to go. I see plenty of cyclists stopping at reds so I see the criticism that many don't as being a bit unfounded.

 

[benb]

I don't think cyclists (or anyone) should break traffic laws. I think the traffic laws should be changed.

Seeing as traffic lights are really only there to control motorised traffic, and in some aspects we are closer to pedestrians than motorised vehicles, I think traffic lights should be given the status of give way lines for cyclists. That is, you should be allowed to proceed with (extreme) caution if it is safe, giving way to traffic on the green phase, on the understanding that if you've cocked it up and get run over it's your own silly fault. Likewise one way streets.

I think this is acceptable for cyclists, but not for motorised vehicles, because the risk posed by cyclists is tiny compared to that posed by motorised vehicles.

 

[GrasB]

A fair few drivers will take chances on a changing light, but I can't recall seeing one totally ignoring a red and just pretending it is green. It is probably as big an irritant to see a cyclist run a red when half way i its cycle, as seeing a pedestrian step out into the road and stroll across in front of a line of traffic after that traffic has been given the green to go. I see plenty of cyclists stopping at reds so I see the criticism that many don't as being a bit unfounded.

I'll invite you to my commute morning. It's not uncommon to come across a set of lights & have a vehicle run a red above the speed limit! The thing is I'm doing a commute which starts at 4am. Drivers think they can get away with it so they do. Interestingly drivers never seem to jump the lights which have things which look like cameras on.