RLJ-ing: A Minority Pastime?

[defy-one]

It's very very common in Central London. Not on major junctions,but the countless pedestrian crossing,where the pedestrians have given up waiting and already crossed.
Don't see an issue with that personally.
If cyclists stopped at every light (see above) in London ... They might as well sit in a car or bus as the time advantage in commuting would be lost.
That might not be a popular thing to say,but it is the truth for central London.

 

[Cyclopathic]

It isn't.



Two wrongs do not make a right.

It was just an observation not an atempt to justify it in cyclists.

 

[martint235]

It's very very common in Central London. Not on major junctions,but the countless pedestrian crossing,where the pedestrians have given up waiting and already crossed.
Don't see an issue with that personally.
If cyclists stopped at every light (see above) in London ... They might as well sit in a car or bus as the time advantage in commuting would be lost.
That might not be a popular thing to say,but it is the truth for central London.

Sorry but it's not the truth, it's utter b****cks. I commuted to Central London for years maintaining an average speed upwards of 16mph stopping for every red. Rljing is just impatient selfishness whether you do it on a bike or in a car.

 

[400bhp]

I've got a hunch that if you are involved in a collision with a vehicle whilst on your bike, and you suffer injuries, then if you have previously jumped red lights [which has been witnessed] then there is the possibility this could be used against you in court, which may mean any compensation you receive is reduced.

Am I correct?

 

[martint235]

I would have thought a 50/50 would be the best you'd get

 

[Twizit]

Sorry but it's not the truth, it's utter b****cks. I commuted to Central London for years maintaining an average speed upwards of 16mph stopping for every red. Rljing is just impatient selfishness whether you do it on a bike or in a car.

^^^ this. Perfectly possible to maintain a good average through London stopping at all red lights. I consider it a challenge to scalp all those who pass me by RLJing

As for the original OP question, even through London I reckon less than 30%. As noted by others, at the major junctions it's tiny (witness Vauxhall bridge this morning - 1 RLJ from over 20 cyclists), but this will rise to maybe 30 - 40% for minor junctions and ped crossings.

 

[400bhp]

@martin235 - It's not something i've looked into-would be interested in a response from those that know for certain.

 

[ianrauk]

Sorry but it's not the truth, it's utter b****cks. I commuted to Central London for years maintaining an average speed upwards of 16mph stopping for every red. Rljing is just impatient selfishness whether you do it on a bike or in a car.

Yip, fully agree with this.

 

[Recycle]

^^^ this. Perfectly possible to maintain a good average through London stopping at all red lights. I consider it a challenge to scalp all those who pass me by RLJing

The opposite happens to me. I get scalped at the lights by RLJ'ers I overtook before the lights . Worse than being "Armstrong'ed".

 

[campbellab]

Ped crossings that are red with no-one in sight are daft. We dont make it illegal for peds to cross on a red man when there is no traffic, because putting human judgement behind a simple timing circuit would be daft. Should be the same for drivers and cyclists - change them all to zebras; or amber flashing with normal usage during certain times of the day if they're required to keep traffic flowing.

 

[Dan B]

Sorry but it's not the truth, it's utter b****cks. I commuted to Central London for years maintaining an average speed upwards of 16mph stopping for every red

I note you say 'to' not 'through'. I think I once counted every signal-controlled junction between Old St roundabout and Oxford Circus, and it averaged about one every 120 metres. What average moving speed and what top speed would you have to ride between those lights to get a 16mph average including stops? Certainly faster than I'd be happier riding in 12mph traffic

 

[Recycle]

I note you say 'to' not 'through'. I think I once counted every signal-controlled junction between Old St roundabout and Oxford Circus, and it averaged about one every 120 metres. What average moving speed and what top speed would you have to ride between those lights to get a 16mph average including stops? Certainly faster than I'd be happier riding in 12mph traffic

I agree that pedestrian lights are a pain because the pedestrian who pressed the button has long since crossed and you are all to frequently stopped for the breeze but the inconvenience can be minimised.
If you are in a highly pedestrianised area then speed must be cut down anyway so you aren't losing a huge amount of invested energy by stopping. A red light can often be anticipated in advance & the red phase is quite short. My strategy is to anticipate the red and coast till the flashing amber, then cross if its safe. It doesn't always work but I live with that. I may be wrong but I think that pedestrian lights are mostly synchronised with each other and with the other lights - that's my observation anyway. If you cross your first light on flashing amber or a fresh green you are likely to get the rest green.

 

[summerdays]

I would say pedestrian lights are not synchronised with other lights. They should only react to the pressing of the button, though how fast they then react is down to how that light is set up. At some crossings it is almost instant, which is nice for the pedestrian and makes them less likely to cross, where they have to wait a long time then it isn't surprising when they cross before the green man.

As a pedestrian if I can cross without using the button I will do, but as a cyclist I'm frequently told by pedestrians "you don't have to stop - keep going". Usually I wait since if I have stopped anyway it won't make any difference waiting a few more seconds.

 

[Recycle]

I would say pedestrian lights are not synchronised with other lights. They should only react to the pressing of the button, though how fast they then react is down to how that light is set up. At some crossings it is almost instant, which is nice for the pedestrian and makes them less likely to cross, where they have to wait a long time then it isn't surprising when they cross before the green man.

True, but I think that you will find that many lights that are not instant are that way because they are synchronising their red phase with the other lights.

 

[400bhp]

I note you say 'to' not 'through'. I think I once counted every signal-controlled junction between Old St roundabout and Oxford Circus, and it averaged about one every 120 metres. What average moving speed and what top speed would you have to ride between those lights to get a 16mph average including stops? Certainly faster than I'd be happier riding in 12mph traffic

Does Martin235 just commute between those two places then?