RLJing f'kin idiot cyclists

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Can anyone offer a simpleton (i.e. me ) an explanation as to why cyclists RLJ? I will hold my hands up now and confess there is one place on my commute where, at a specific time of night, I RLJ. My rather lame excuse is that at sadi time of night there is very little-to-to motor vehicle traffic on the road and the inductive loops singalling to the light controls don't seem to be sensitive enough to pick up my bike, so I either sit like a prat waiting for a car or, after carefully checking the clear view of the other entrances onto the junction, move off. This is the only one I do, but I know some others seem to treat traffic lights as something which doesn't apply to them?

 

[Cab]

Can anyone offer a simpleton (i.e. me ) an explanation as to why cyclists RLJ?

Because its perceived by some cyclists as harmless. They're looking before they go so the risk is low (a VERY small percentage of cycling causaities are caused by cyclists red light jumping). They also don't want the hassle and extra energy expenditure of stopping and starting again.

Frankly, wherever a law is perceived as (1) not making you any safer, (2) not having any victims if you break it, and (3) not having any consequences for breaking it, it'll be broken.

Its rather like speeding and the naff arguments people use to justify that.

 

[brokenbetty]

What Cab said, plus just avoiding the wait at the lights. I reckon I would reduce my commuting time by about 25% if I RLJ'd

 

[brokenbetty]

I doubt the above, how long does your commute take you?

about 40 minutes, and 37 sets of traffic lights

 

[Crankarm]

What I used to do is carefully aim a kick to their back wheel as they attempted to ride through. It was fun.

I think next time I'll take an old umbrella to put through their spokes .

 

[Cab]

I doubt the above, how long does your commute take you?

Takes me 16 minutes on a day when I catch all the lights red. I've never caught them all green. But I can do it in just over 12 minutes if I catch few of them red.

 

[hackbike 666]

I reckon I'd shave 5 minutes off if I RLJed...Then again I would have thought it would increase the risk of not getting there in one piece though.

Im too old to bother rushing now so I will just take my time...If I am late* tough.

*=I haven't been late for work since 1997 and I never RLJed then.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I do RLJ

Technically

If a car is in the ASL, I will create a new ASL in a zone I deem to be safe.
If I am joining an off road cycle route from a junction, I will cross the solid line in order to get to the cycle route so long as that doesn't involve crossing traffic flow

Both are technically RLJ's and probably incense some drivers who are the sort that are too obsessed with picking faults with others driving to take the log out of their own eye.

I usually find that the "proper" RLJ'ers are the sort that have a cadence of about 30RPM who take so long to negotiate red lights and pavements that I am in front of them within 10 seconds of clearing the junction (and I'm not a shaven-legged "sport" cyclist, if I were to have a cycling top it would probably read "sponsored by British Lard" )

 

[hackbike 666]

I do the same.I thought RLJ means you keep going past the red and through the junction.

 

[BentMikey]

I do the same.I thought RLJ means you keep going past the red and through the junction.

*Ahem*

 

[hackbike 666]

*Ahem*

hello.

 

[Jezston]

My blood got up a little bit this morning after a second cyclist zipped past me as I sat at a red light. The second one was going the same route as me and I watched as he promptly jumped the next red light as well. Wasn't going terribly fast as I seemed to be effortlessly keeping pace with him despite me actually stopping at red lights and him zipping through.

Hopefully the full volume airzound blast as he RLJ'd the third time, and his turned around WTF face being responded to by my shout of "stop making us look bad dickhead!" will make him think about it in the future. And hopefully the motorists beside and behind me who would have witnessed my little hissy fit will realise we aren't all jumpers.

 

[hackbike 666]

I don't really get how this all started.There wasn't any rljing when I first started commuting.

 

[Norm]

I have a quandary on one of my regular routes, as there is a set of lights which only trigger if a car is waiting there and only about 6 cars a week use that road (it's the junction here and I've just crossed the bridge so approach from the north). I usually cross when the other three lights are red for traffic, which is when the peds get priority, so I ride at roughly walking speed.

Last night, a chap half-way across the road stopped walking to let me through. We had a bit of a "No, after you..." "No, after you..." thing, it was only after I said that he had the green light and I was forced to (IMO) jump a red that he continued.

I don't like doing it but the only real alternative is to get off and walk and I think a ped walking a bike is more dangerous than someone riding slowly.

 

[hackbike 666]

I had a thing with a ped the other day...I went through a green near the Stratford (yet again) bus station and the ped who was crossing made a point of checking the main aspect which made me make a comment on this action.

I can only take it when he crossed the road he hadn't checked the lights to see which colour they were before he crossed and when he saw me he assumed I was one of those bastard cyclists who always jump red lights.