RLJ - Taxi Drivers' video

[400bhp]

they are the drivers and your handing them an excuse to behave badly towards us. If i RLJ and then say to a driver "i saw you speeding" he's gonna say, i saw you jump a red light! But if i haven't jumped the red light, whats he gonna say? Sod all. He's got no come back.

Don't put me in a box. You're as bad as those car drivers that you talk about.

I can't be held responsible for others actions.

Still haven't answered my question, so at this point I am out of conversing with you.

 

[buggi]

Who are them and who are us?

And you haven't answered my point whether all traffic misdemeanours are equal, because that started your quoting of my posts.

And the particular traffic offence isn't deemed the same in the eyes of the law too.

well i don't think i was referring to that part of your post but if you put it like that... If I'm in my car i should obey the law. Equally if I'm on my bike i should obey the law. If I cant even obey the law on my bike what right do i have to expect others to do it?

 

[buggi]

He is still going to say "you all jump red lights". They don't mean it as a literal truth it is just shorthand for "I don't know how to behave around cyclists, so I don't like sharing the road with you".

yea i know that but if cyclists didn't jump red lights he wouldn't be able to say it. And that's my point.

 

[buggi]

Don't put me in a box. You're as bad as those car drivers that you talk about.

I can't be held responsible for others actions.

Still haven't answered my question, so at this point I am out of conversing with you.

im not actually sure what your question is !

 

[buggi]

Maybe not after a decade or teo but the lazy criticism would endure for ages, even if we were to eradicate it. The is no justification for the phrase now. The cry is "All cyclists jump red lights" not some but all. I have had it said to me by a cabbie at a red light

going on the OP, there's 53% justification. This is what i mean by handing it to them on a plate... If 53% didn't do it, they would have that kind retort. I'm sure that cyclists round here do it, but its probably more like 2%, so bcoz its few and far between they cant use it as shorthand for "I don't know how to behave around cyclists". But while half the cyclists in London do this, they will always have this little trump card.

 

[Leodis]

Here's an example of where I broke the law this morning;

http://goo.gl/maps/q7mCg

That's a 60mph limit road close to where I live, which is often busy. As you can see, the left hand lane is fairly narrow and there are a lot of HGV's that use the road. If I cycle on the road (which I have done) I get incredibly close and fast passes. Regardless of the rights and wrongs I feel I am putting myself at risk and, to some extent, other road users, so I choose to cycle on the pavement for about half a mile. Very rarely do I see a pedestrian and if I do I slow or stop and we pass each other with no drama. I rejoin the road later when it's a 40mph limit and one lane in each direction.

Technically I'm breaking the law, maybe I'm giving drivers ammunition, but in this example I'm afraid that my safety comes first.

But yes I do agree there's no excuse at all for blatant RLJ'ing and similar, just that we have to be careful before condemning every single instance of a cyclist law breaking.

I have the same issue leaving work, I have to join the ring road in rush hour A6110 - Leeds - To try and cross two lanes is tough and trying to look, indicate and keep in control of a bike whilst cars fly past at 40 or 50. I sometimes take the right hand path for half a mile before and the join the road further up after the right turn. I might get a FPN but tbh I would rather pay that cost.

 

[PedalCat]

Here's a question, the crux of the matter, i reckon.
If, from now on, every road user suddenly began to behave properly in every way, would these taxi drivers be happy about cyclists on the roads? Would they still object to cyclists on the road?

 

[gaz]

Here's a question, the crux of the matter, i reckon.
If, from now on, every road user suddenly began to behave properly in every way, would these taxi drivers be happy about cyclists on the roads? Would they still object to cyclists on the road?

No and of course.

 

[Mr Foldy]

I am convinced that I know of times and places where I can speed safely when I'm driving. I don't do it though because the law doesn't work that way. Too many people here are trying to justify breaking the law. I love bikes and cyclists, but RLJ is not OK.

 

[fimm]

Of course car drivers RLJ.

There's a set of temporary traffic lights on my way to work. I've lost count of the number of times that I've been slowing on my bike to stop at them, and I've been overtaken by the driver of the car behind me who then goes through the amber or red light. If I can stop safely, then the driver behind me can stop safely.

Yes RLJ is bad whoever does it, but to somehow say it is only cyclists who do it is stupid.

Oh, and Buggi, it is "because". Please stop spelling it "bcoz", it is begining to, err, bug me quite a lot.

 

[zimzum42]

Fu ck them and their law

 

[benb]

The argument is nonsense.

Imagine if someone were to suggest that we shouldn't give black people respect and equality because some of them commit crimes.
Would a black person subjected to that argument think "Well they've got a point. I can't demand respect until the black community puts its house in order"?

No. The argument is bigoted drivel and would be dismissed out of hand - just as the cyclist RLJ argument should be.

 

[subaqua]

Here's an example of where I broke the law this morning;

http://goo.gl/maps/q7mCg

That's a 60mph limit road close to where I live, which is often busy. As you can see, the left hand lane is fairly narrow and there are a lot of HGV's that use the road. If I cycle on the road (which I have done) I get incredibly close and fast passes. Regardless of the rights and wrongs I feel I am putting myself at risk and, to some extent, other road users, so I choose to cycle on the pavement for about half a mile. Very rarely do I see a pedestrian and if I do I slow or stop and we pass each other with no drama. I rejoin the road later when it's a 40mph limit and one lane in each direction.

Technically I'm breaking the law, maybe I'm giving drivers ammunition, but in this example I'm afraid that my safety comes first.

But yes I do agree there's no excuse at all for blatant RLJ'ing and similar, just that we have to be careful before condemning every single instance of a cyclist law breaking.

and there are specific guidlines, issued by Paul Boateng in the last UK govt for not prosecuting cycling on pavement in this sort of situation.

I don't remember seeing guidlines about jumping Red Lights when you think its safe to do so being aceptable

 

[benb]

Personally I think a strong case could be made to update the RTA to allow cyclists to consider reds the equivalent of give way.

That is, I don't think cyclists should break the law; I think we should change the law.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Oh, and Buggi, it is "because". Please stop spelling it "bcoz", it is begining to, err, bug me quite a lot.

+1 Not just Buggi though, I hate text speak on forums, should be included in the new forum rules if it's not already there.

Alan..