No wonder Cyclists are unpopular with motorists!

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If a driver of a motorised vehicle was also in a hurry would it be OK for them to jump the lights as well as long as there was no chance of anyone else getting injured ?

Lets face it the only reason you sometimes jump them is because you are impatient and there is little chance of you getting caught.

The 'if you were a motorist' argument can only be taken so far. In this case it's invalid, mainly because of the amount of cars on the road and the precedent it would set to other motorists.
This is a case where the law is (IMO) clearly wrong. I choose to break it, in the same way that I choose to break the law by smoking a joint now and then. I accept there is a risk of getting caught and punished, but I also accept that that chance is very low, and that by breaking the law I am not harming anyone. The same way that motorists know that in stopping in the ASZ there is very little chance of being caught/punished for it

 

[gaz]

A final thought - banish the idea that red light jumping is why cyclists are unpopular. If every cyclists obeyed the Highway Code to the letter from tomorrow, not much would change in that respect.

Agreed, but that doesn't mean we should continue to do it.

Removing an image of us being law breakers would make it a lot easier for us to be accepted on the road by those road users that don't respect us.

 

[format]

Agreed, but that doesn't mean we should continue to do it.

Removing an image of us being law breakers would make it a lot easier for us to be accepted on the road by those road users that don't respect us.

I've talked to a few motorists about it. Whilst a few did say they were bothered by it, most said they didn't mind because it stopped them having to worry about cyclists when the light went green. This is the sort of RLJ'ing I was referring to earlier, ie when there is no risk of collision with traffic or peds.

Diclaimer: The above is merely anecdotal and does not constitute real admissible evidence in any manner or form.

 

[slowmotion]

Removing an image of us being law breakers would make it a lot easier for us to be accepted on the road by those road users that don't respect us.

I completely agree. Thanks for that post. The problem is that a few of our more militant and selfish number feel that they alone decide how to behave. They are above the law in their unique position of righteousness.

 

[GrasB]

Removing an image of us being law breakers would make it a lot easier for us to be accepted on the road by those road users that don't respect us.

Think about this; using a non-handsfree mobile phone in the car is still seen as acceptable by the motoring public (at a population level rather than individual) but the same group say for a cyclists it's a real problem to be banned. So the unfortunate impression I get is this image of lawlessness from cyclists is an effect of motorists not wanting to deal with cyclists on the road rather than a true effect of cyclists behaviour.

 

[John the Monkey]

Agreed, but that doesn't mean we should continue to do it.

Or start to do it, in my case. I don't RLJ, I don't think others should.

Removing an image of us being law breakers would make it a lot easier for us to be accepted on the road by those road users that don't respect us.

Eh, it's one off a seemingly endless shopping list. I think we'll have to agree to disagree.