RLJ-ing: A Minority Pastime?
- Thread starter Davidsw8
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Rancid
Active Member
- Location
- Saff Landin
South London commute here via Streatham/Tooting/Wimbledon.
The VAST majority (80%+) of cyclist jump red lights.
There are a couple of one way sections on my route and its the same cyclists who regularly don't bother to adhere to the rules.
Whilst some of these people look as it they just grabbed a cheap bike from sports direct, there are far too many on very expensive bikes with all the trimmings that really ought to know better.
i know its the wrong to encourage but the only cyclist im prepared to forgive for jumping a red light is the young chap who i have seen at least 3 times now jump the red light at the junction of the A24 and Longley road by doing a wheelie across the whole junction. True he is going to end up under a bus, but as i have never had the wheelie skillz, i tend to doff my crash hat in his direction. i mean if your going to piss off every motorist at the junction why not do it with style ?
The VAST majority (80%+) of cyclist jump red lights.
There are a couple of one way sections on my route and its the same cyclists who regularly don't bother to adhere to the rules.
Whilst some of these people look as it they just grabbed a cheap bike from sports direct, there are far too many on very expensive bikes with all the trimmings that really ought to know better.
i know its the wrong to encourage but the only cyclist im prepared to forgive for jumping a red light is the young chap who i have seen at least 3 times now jump the red light at the junction of the A24 and Longley road by doing a wheelie across the whole junction. True he is going to end up under a bus, but as i have never had the wheelie skillz, i tend to doff my crash hat in his direction. i mean if your going to piss off every motorist at the junction why not do it with style ?
TfL did a study and came up with a figure of 18% of cyclists RLJ in London. Which is round about the same percentage of drivers that RLJ more than three seconds after the light has gone red. Its also not a particularly dangerous thing to do - the number of cyclist deaths from RLJing are very low compared to the prevalence of RLJing.
Well they weren't studying properly then.
You now cycle commute in London.
Do you agree with that figure?
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
Don't see it much round here, but when I'm in London I see far more of it. I'd estimate that in central London it's probably as high as a third at some junctions and out in the wilds around Sutton about a fifth.
Stupid thing to do in/on any vehicle IMO.
Stupid thing to do in/on any vehicle IMO.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
How do you know this? I've scraped enough corpses off the Tarmac across the tears, conducted the investigations, and completed the official paperwork from which the Home Office will compile their road death figures, and there ain't not ticky box for RLJ'ing.
Well someone's recording it in London at least: http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/campaigns/0911_CP_RLJ-pavement_brf.pdf
Yes thank you for that.
I think my experience of cycle commuting in London every day of the week for the last 7 years says a lot more then that 5 year old report.
It certainly happens a lot, but I've never measured it.
I'd certainly not dismiss a proper study of anything over my anecdotal experience though, especially when it comes from a source I'd normally consider to be somewhat biased against cyclists.
AndyPeace
Guest
- Location
- Worcestershire
If it's so safe to jump red lights, why not ditch them altogether? or pass a law to say cyclist's don't have to stop at red lights?
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
The TfL link is very interesting and all, but offers no empirical data to support any figure for accidents caused as a consequence of RLJing.
It's easy to figure how many jump red lights by asking riders, or even standing there and counting ( or reviewing CCTV and counting, or whatever) but the lead investigating agency for serious road incidents involving injury or death, or the dibble, simply do not record and report RLJing as an accident cause, simply because they're not required to do so. Therefore, Twots fail London Simply do not have a reliable source of data re RLJ fatalities. No one does.
And you gotta live TfL rather un objective language - a recumbent rider "almost killed", eh? It would be equally accurate, although less exciting, to say the recumbent rider "was completely unscathed".
It's easy to figure how many jump red lights by asking riders, or even standing there and counting ( or reviewing CCTV and counting, or whatever) but the lead investigating agency for serious road incidents involving injury or death, or the dibble, simply do not record and report RLJing as an accident cause, simply because they're not required to do so. Therefore, Twots fail London Simply do not have a reliable source of data re RLJ fatalities. No one does.
And you gotta live TfL rather un objective language - a recumbent rider "almost killed", eh? It would be equally accurate, although less exciting, to say the recumbent rider "was completely unscathed".
No I've never measured it either. But as I said to another poster. 7 years of commuter cycling in London says a lot more then some old report of someone standing on a corner counting a few cyclists for a couple of hours.
And having a look at the report, the junctions where the transgressors were counted are some of the most busiest junctions in London where only the more foolhardy would RLJ. Next time they should do a better spread of minor junctions. Then watch as the stat's jump.
You might have an impression of what is happening but its just that, an impression compared with actual measurements of what is happening. There are lots of places now where, if you count them bikes outnumber cars but the impression if you don't count them is that cars outnumber bikes.
That's exactly what has been trialled in some French cities - Lyon for example - with success and is now being extended to Paris.
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