RLJ - hypothetical question

[MERV]

There never used to be rljing at one time so where did this behaviour originate from?

 

[magnatom]

There never used to be rljing at one time so where did this behaviour originate from?

I think it started when some silly person decided to install traffic lights!

 

[MERV]

I think it started when some silly person decided to install traffic lights!

Nope!

 

[Cab]

There never used to be rljing at one time so where did this behaviour originate from?

I dunno, youth of today with their loud music and bad road habits.

Really, when was it that no one RLJ'd? When did all cyclists obey the rules?

 

[cannondale boy]

Its a tricky one but as your not endangering anyone you could RLJ.

Personally i would get off my bike go on to the pavement walk past the lights and get back on the bike...saying that the time it takes to do all that the lights would of probably turned green. So its a catch twenty two situation.

Next time it happens show them some bike tricks

 

[MERV]

I dunno, youth of today with their loud music and bad road habits.

Really, when was it that no one RLJ'd? When did all cyclists obey the rules?

In the 1970's and 1980's.Never noticed rljing as blatant as it is now.

 

[theclaud]

I say I don't RLJ and urban RLJing does 'get my goat' (sorry 'disgruntled').

However, in the scenario I envisaged I can see myself going thro'

I'm slightly uncomfortable in the hypocrisy

Fair enough then. I'm ambivalent about RLJing, and I sometimes do it myself (well, more truthfully, I quite often do it at particular lights). I prefer not to get into for-and-against arguments if possible - there are subtleties involved in the many different behaviours that constitute RLJing, but it is very easy for these to segue into a justification of what one already does. The default position should obviously be to stop at red, but to hold that all RLJing is equally reckless and irresponsible is a rather extreme authoritarian position characterised by an inappropriate respect for laws that are necessitated only by the preponderance of motor vehicles. In other words, I think a healthy bit of disobedience is called for, except where it frightens, bullies or endangers pedestrians or risks causing traffic accidents. The bottom line is that it is never absolutely necessary to RLJ, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't ever do it. Robert Crampton captures the spirit of it nicely in this essay, although he is not specifically talking about RLJing: http://www.bikereader.com/contributors/misc/codewords.html

 

[summerdays]

Here's a simpler one, from this morning's commute ...

You're on a one-way main road, with a side-road to your left. You have loads of vision down the side-road. There is one car waiting to exit the side-road. Your lights turn red and you stop. The one car pulls out and tootles off down the road. There is no other traffic, and no pedestrians within 500 metres. Do you continue sitting at the red, waiting for it to change to green, or do you now proceed through the red?

Ben

In that situation I would wait - its a red light....

 

[Eat MY Dust]

TBH I would stop. I wouldn't want to break any road traffic laws!! While the light was red I would get off and beat the little monkeys to a pulp!!!

BTW I didn't know BM drove a BMW. Has this always been common knowledge?!?!?!?

 

[magnatom]

TBH I would stop. I wouldn't want to break any road traffic laws!! While the light was red I would get off and beat the little monkeys to a pulp!!!

BTW I didn't know BM drove a BMW. Has this always been common knowledge?!?!?!?

It's OK Bemtmikey knows that the cars indicators don't work so he signals with his hands and drives accordingly.....

 

[snapper_37]

I'd stop ... but it would take all my will power to pull the brakes. Supposing one of the little tossers runs into the road 'for a laugh' if I didn't stop.

 

[MERV]

Must admit I would jump and have done exactly that at 2am when I have been cycling from work and about ten pissed peds were walking up to offending traffic lights.I didn't fancy exchanging pleasantries.

 

[bonj2]

Straight road approaching a light controlled ped crossing.

you see a bunch of kids hit the lights button as they pass and the lights turn to amber.

So they've no intention of crossing, there's no side junctions.

Do you RLJ?

No, i would amber-gamble. I only stop at ANY ped crossings if there's peds waiting to cross. A ped crossing with lights on red = zebra crossing.

 

[BentMikey]

TBH I would stop. I wouldn't want to break any road traffic laws!! While the light was red I would get off and beat the little monkeys to a pulp!!!

BTW I didn't know BM drove a BMW. Has this always been common knowledge?!?!?!?

Not any more, it was a 528i, beautiful car. Couldn't afford to keep it when I stopped contracting. Weirdly, I drove slightly better in that car than in the Honda, more relaxed and more tolerant of other drivers.

 

[John the Monkey]

Not any more, it was a 528i, beautiful car. ... Weirdly, I drove slightly better in that car than in the Honda, more relaxed and more tolerant of other drivers.

Admit it, the BMW owners club made you sell it for letting the side down, didn't they..?