No wonder Cyclists are unpopular with motorists!

[Clandy]

First of all as a cyclist I have very little experience of traffic lights, however I have a huge amount of experience of city driving in both cars, vans and lorries. Traffic light junctions do appear to me to be a very dangerous environment, people heading off in different directions, people in the wrong lane, the incompetent, the pushy, the bad tempered and mixed amongst that lot, drivers who believe they are at the start of a Grand Prix race.

Looking at the video that was posted earlier, LINK, and for one moment ignoring law breaking, which of the cyclists is most at risk. The RLJ'er has put his dangers where he can see them. The cyclist waiting has all his dangers behind, and when those lights turn to red orange he is going to be mixed up in the mad melee that I have described above.

I was the cyclist who stopped. Sixty or more drivers watched that moron ride through the red light. That's sixty or more stories of 'red light jumping cyclists' doing the rounds. The left lane is left turn only, I was perfectly safe where I was. The prat who went through the red light on the other hand created a hazard for drivers who were not expecting to see a moron on a bicycle sitting in the middle of the junction.

 

[4F]

Do you park your bike in a pay & display space?

No, I do not park my bike in a car park.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

The RLJ'er has put his dangers where he can see them. The cyclist waiting has all his dangers behind, and when those lights turn to red orange he is going to be mixed up in the mad melee that I have described above.

In the early noughties I used to cycle commute in S. London. Very little 'safety in numbers' in those days relative to today. I used to think like the above quote, influenced by being rammed from behind twice on my Brompton. SMIDSY. I no longer think that way. I quit RLJ'ing and am happier, and am a better cyclist for it.

The RLJ'ers does not have his dangers where he can see them and is likely to be taken out be a vehicle he hasn't seen side swiping him from left or right. As happen right before my very eyes in Clapham. Speeding WVM. RLJ'ing cyclist. Kaboom. Horrid.

If you are at the front at the lights, you only (generally) have to worry about one vehicle in your lane. The leading one, the ones behind won't drive through the vehicle in front, and you can generally steal a march on the leading car over 10m anyway if you are alert and in the right gear.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

What are people's opinions on the following -

I stop for every red light I see.

• If it's a red like at a pedestrian crossing and after I've stopped I can clearly see that no one is around, I'll carry on cycling.
• If it's a junction, and there is a green man on either my left or my right (meaning no traffic will cut across my path) and there are no pedestrians, I'll carry on cycling.

In the above scenarios, I'm not endangering anyone. Is it alright for me to do it?

I would encourage you to desist. Though you have my empathy in the first example particularly; that can be frustrating.

 

[Dan B]

No, I do not park my bike in a car park.

Then I hope you can see that "would a car driver do X?" is not in general a good argument for justifying whether or not a cyclist should

 

[John the Monkey]

Then I hope you can see that "would a car driver do X?" is not in general a good argument for justifying whether or not a cyclist should

AH! /Lee and Herring

 

[4F]

Then I hope you can see that "would a car driver do X?" is not in general a good argument for justifying whether or not a cyclist should

I am a car driver and a cyclist. The question of is it be OK to dismount, walk across and reemount is a nonsense question whichever mode of transport you or on / in.

A red light means stop.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Let's face it. The sad, awful truth.

Cyclists are unpopular with other cyclists!

 

[4F]

Let's face it. The sad, awful truth.

Cyclists are unpopular with other cyclists!

I am no angel and have jumped ped crossings, lights previously but I know its not right, its not clever and I have only done it because I was an impatient fool.

 

[colinr]

Cyclists are unpopular with other cyclists!

That's because they're doing it ALL WRONG

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I am no angel and have jumped ped crossings, lights previously but I know its not right, its not clever and I have only done it because I was an impatient fool.

A fault we both share I fear though I'm sure you are no fool.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

+1. I believe that cyclists should obey the laws of the road and I practise this believe.

still breaking the law though.

cyclists complain when drivers break the law. and no doubt when a cyclist gets hit and dies we will have the usual thread of how bad car drivers are . or complaints the press is biased when they report the cyclist went through a red light.


wait for it, yup there it is the whine of " a cars 2 ton a cars bigger a car has 4 wheels"

 

[Angelfishsolo]

+1

A red light means STOP no matter what. In the States then fine, it's expected, but not here. No such thing as negotiating a red light with perfect safety. Ambulances and Police cars have to slow for red lights and should they cause an accident by piling on through they are held accountable and liable to prosecution.

 

[Dan B]

I am a car driver and a cyclist. The question of is it be OK to dismount, walk across and reemount is a nonsense question whichever mode of transport you or on / in.

A red light means stop.

Not (legally) to pedestrians, it doesn't. If by dismounting your bike you become a pedestrian (the Crank vs Brooks case lends some support to this position), then it is perfectly legal to walk your bike across the road no matter what lights are showing. You might consider it a bad idea for other reasons but that doesn't alter the legal position.


Which is why (per my earlier comments) when I complain about bad or dangerous driving I complain on the basis that it is bad and/or dangerous, and largely without reference to whether it's legal or illegal or of unknown legality. The law can be and often is clarified and/or changed.

 

[subaqua]

I think you've misunderstood our simian colleague who is as gracious and stylish a law-abiding cyclist as you could hope to ever meet.

People love bicycles but hate cyclists.

We are 'other' and that is all there is to it. I obey the highway code on my bike in all but life threatening situations (I once bunnyhopped onto the pavement to avoid being run down by a car being driven on the wrong side of the road for instance) yet I am still abused, spat at, have things throw at me from cars, am cut up, left hooked, too frequently for my liking. Oddly these things never happen when I am driving or riding a motorcycle or when I am a pedestrian.

Go figure.....

were you wearing the headgear from your avatar