No wonder Cyclists are unpopular with motorists!

[Clandy]

but then again they also hate cyclists for wearing lycra and not paying road tax. I'm not particularly interested in their views.

There is no such thing as 'road tax'.


Jumping red lights is breaking the law. Anyone doing so, no matter whether they are a driver or cyclist, should be removed from the roads. As far as I am concerned 'cyclists' who jump red lights are not cyclists at all, they're just idiots on bicycles. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=zdi4aIK3iRQ

 

[fimm]

I like to think I'm safe and considerate, but I'm sure I've done things in the past that would upset other road users.
It's fun to have a rant every now and then, but few of us have completely clean records.

+1
We should all aim for perfection, and accept that occassionally people will fail to achieve it.

 

[brokenbetty]

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.

Have you got any proof for that, or is it just a handy excuse to not even try?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Have you got any proof for that, or is it just a handy excuse to not even try?

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.....

 

[John the Monkey]

Have you got any proof for that, or is it just a handy excuse to not even try?

I get punishment passes and crappy behaviour from people who have watched me scrupulously obey traffic signals and traffic law generally (they could hardly miss it, as quite often these are the idiots that tailgate me, so anxious are they to reach the next queue of traffic ahead of me).

Similarly, in discussion, offering the fact that I *do* obey traffic lights just moves the motorist on to the next item in their shopping list of reasons that they dislike/feel justified in threatening cyclists.

This is, of course, only one monkey's opinion. And it is by no means an excuse not to try; as I pointed out in the same post;

I don't jump red lights, I don't think anyone else should either - an environment in which road users pick and choose which traffic laws they're going to obey may be the de facto situation for drivers in the uk (drink driving BAD, using a mobile, speeding or both at the same time A LITTLE BIT NAUGHTY) but it's not something I want to participate in, personally.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Would you think it ok for a motorist to jump a red light if they thought it was safe to do so?

I have no wish to be the victim of some drivers poor judgement of what is or isn't safe as they consistently, to the tune of several hundred dead each year, get this one wrong.

Observe driver behaviour at temporary traffic lights.

Some jump the lights following the conga line
Some simply drive through the red light because they can't be bothered to wait for the light to change and they are, I guess, very important people with very important places to get to to do their very important things
Others sit, glaring at the red light, straining at the bit, willing it to change, chomping at the bit, and woe betide the cyclist at the front of the queue.
Very few chillax.

 

[BSRU]

In Swindon, I very rarely see motorist's drive through red lights that has been red for a second or more, usually motorist's going through red lights are just failed amber gamblers. I see more cyclist's ride through red lights, irrespective of how long it has been red and with no regard for any pedestrian that happens to be crossing in front of them.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Similarly, in discussion, offering the fact that I *do* obey traffic lights just moves the motorist on to the next item in their shopping list of reasons that they dislike/feel justified in threatening cyclists.

Make that two great apes......

"You don't pay road tax!" I do, on two cars
"You lot don't have lights!" I do, even in daylight, 3 of them
"You don't wear bright clothes" I do, even though I hate it, and reflectives.
"You don't stop at red lights" I do, it's the law
"You don't need to ride that far from the kerb!" I do, as otherwise I'll get wiped out or come a cropper on a drain cover.
"You don't ride on the cycle lane" I do if it makes sense
et cetera
et cetera
"You dress funny" I do, it is more comfortable.

My interactions with numpty shouty crap self justifying drivers gets more like that Abba song every day.

 

[John the Monkey]

I have no wish to be the victim of some drivers poor judgement of what is or isn't safe as they consistently, to the tune of several hundred dead each year, get this one wrong.

One of the lights I really dislike is a layout that equates to roughly 2 lanes, reduced to 1 1/2 lane(ish) by a cyclepath. I go straight on here.

The problem at this junction is that a lot of traffic goes right - they queue, and take up one lane to the right of left turning and straight ahead traffic. This lot use the bike lane to pass to the left of the right turning cars, and will usually be gunning to cross ahead of the light change, very close to my rear wheel - I've had a number of close calls here, including an oafish overtake as I acknowledged, and began to slow for the amber light. I've taken to raising my hand in a "Stop" sign in the hope that these dickheads won't run into the back of me as they fixate on beating the light.

Not really relevant to the op, I suppose, but personally I worry far more about the misdeeds of motor traffic than I do about those of riders of pedal cycles and those of pedestrians.

 

[John the Monkey]

In Swindon, I very rarely see motorist's drive through red lights that has been red for a second or more, usually motorist's going through red lights are just failed amber gamblers.

Certanly rare, but I have seen it. Often it's a creep forward, then a hard acceleration out - there's a junction coming out of a car park I pass through in East Didsbury where it's pretty common - less so in queueing traffic, ime, although a single vehicle ahead of me (a mere cyclist) with no cars behind seems to make it more likely.

I see more cyclist's ride through red lights, irrespective of how long it has been red and with no regard for any pedestrian that happens to be crossing in front of them.

Utter twattery. I don't do it, and others shouldn't.

 

[BSRU]

Utter twattery. I don't do it, and others shouldn't.

They are also miss out on some good exercise when getting going again and a breather while stopped.

 

[HLaB]

I think in Edinburgh I see more cars/ taxis RLJ than bikes and not just the failed amber gamblers but solo cars (not sheep) 5 seconds or more after red but I am probably more inclined to notice it . The funniest one was the car which slowed up behind me then stopped (I was in an ASL); waited for 5 secs behind me then lost their patience, overtook and proceded to go straight through red (turning left) with plenty of traffic coming the other way.

As previous posts suggest though some folk just hate cyclist, and everybody knows only cyclists jump red lights.
Actually I've been accused of it myself sometimes, at left turn green arrows where the numpty in front sits that far beyond the stop line they don't see it

 

[HLaB]

They are also miss out on some good exercise when getting going again and a breather while stopped.

Funnilly enough some days I see it as good sprint training

 

[BSRU]

The funniest one was the car which slowed up behind me then stopped (I was in an ASL); waited for 5 secs behind me then lost their patience, overtook and proceded to go straight through red (turning left) with plenty of traffic coming the other way.

I had the opposite yesterday, a driver sitting at the lights while they were on green, completely oblivious, he only started moving when he saw me go after my light had changed to green.

 

[Dan B]

My interactions with numpty shouty crap self justifying drivers gets more like that Abba song every day.

You beat them with a tambourine? That's a superb idea, I should try that too