Saw My First Proper RLJ

[G-Zero]

Had to travel to the Manchester "Midland Hotel" yesterday for a conference and while queuing in the rush hour hour traffic at a big box junction, an old guy filtered past us and rode straight across, causing cars to brake and swerve round him.

I've read about RLJs on here, but that's the first one I've actually witnessed.

Interesting to watch, but not for me

 

[Red Light]

I've ridden for years in London where about one in five cyclists red light jump. I can't ever recall seeing cars having to "brake and swerve" round them as has now come up twice in threads this week. Nor have I seen them sail on into a stream of crossing traffic. Its always crossing as a pedestrian would when there is a gap. I am wondering whether we are having an attack of fertile imaginations in here perhaps bought on by all the wet weather.

 

[G-Zero]

I am wondering whether we are having an attack of fertile imaginations in here perhaps bought on by all the wet weather.

I've got better things to do than make stories up and 5 colleagues, all of us experienced Family Liaison Officers on our way to a national conference, would have been excellent witnesses had he been creamed by one of the several cars that swerved round him.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Cripes!

I'm slightly surprised that RL has never seen a car brake or swerve to avoid a cycle hopping a red light.

I am an occasional light-hopper myself, but in the way of most transgressors I somehow convince myself that I only do so when it's safe...

Nonetheless, as both a driver and a cyclist I've seen quite a few cars brake or steer to avoid contact or inappropriate proximity with RLJ cyclists.

I've seen many, many pedestrians having to jump or step quickly to avoid contact.

On almost every ride from Paddington to the City, I'd expect to see at least one car alter direction for a light-hopping cyclist and quite a few pedestrians get a bit of a surprise. Maybe it takes a light-hopper to spot one.

For all that, I've never seen an RTC fatality as a result of a bicycle RLJ. A good family friend was sqidged to within inches of her life many years ago when amber gambling across Marylebone Road at Park Crescent. (Amusingly, as a high-mileage driver she'd forgotten she was cycling and underestimated the time taken to cross several lanes).

I've witnessed only two RLJ fatalities, both caused by motorcycles. One killed himself against a van and the other carried an old woman a long distance down the road on his fairing, killing her in the process.

 

[rb58]

I'd say these days it's more than 1 in 5 cyclists that RLJ in London. Certainly on my commute it is. And I'd suggest it's getting worse, not better.

 

[400bhp]

I've ridden for years in London where about one in five cyclists red light jump. I can't ever recall seeing cars having to "brake and swerve" round them as has now come up twice in threads this week. Nor have I seen them sail on into a stream of crossing traffic. Its always crossing as a pedestrian would when there is a gap. I am wondering whether we are having an attack of fertile imaginations in here perhaps bought on by all the wet weather.

Speak for yourself - I have seen it at one of the busiest junctions on the A56 in rush hour here - possibly the worst bit of cycling I have ever witnessed.

 

[400bhp]

Cripes!

I'm slightly surprised that RL has never seen a car brake or swerve to avoid a cycle hopping a red light.

Maybe he's not paying attention

 

[Graham]

I've got better things to do than make stories up and 5 colleagues, all of us experienced Family Liaison Officers on our way to a national conference, would have been excellent witnesses had he been creamed by one of the several cars that swerved round him.

I'm probably being a wind-up merchant here, but how does being an experienced Family Liaison Officer on your way to a national conference make you an excellent witness?

 

[TheDoctor]

When I worked in Hatfield, I had to cross the A1/A414 interchange.
There's 6 sets of lights on the roundabout, and at least half-a-dozen cars jumped the red lights.
On every set, at every change. 36 cars, every minute. Over 2000 RLJs an hour.
Was there a police presence, or a prosecution? Was there bollocks.
So you saw a cyclist do it? Big ruddy deal!
*sits back, awaits flaming*

 

[ohnovino]

I hardly ever see cyclist RLJs, and I've never seen one force another vehicle to brake/swerve. The YouTube videos of RLJers in London are a different world from what I'm used to.

 

[gambatte]

Family liason = plod?
I once got into a converstion with a copper. I'd made a complaint about parking outside a school. He was saying that the council now had responsibility for enforcing the yellow lines etc. All they enforced was pavement parking/obstructions. However he said that he could report it the council and that they were 'professional witnesses'.
That might be some of what G-Zero is alluding to?
However, I'm not enamoured of plods observational powers. In my own case, I reported parking in a junction, opposite a junction, on the brow of a hill, on a left hand bend and on the pavement. All of this is at the same time, within a 50m diameter, centred on a junction... and...?.... "I and my colleague have assessed it and no offence is being committed"

 

[Graham]

Ah, Family Liaison Officer = Police officer. I have never had any dealings with them, so my lack of knowledge is probably a good thing. I take back my comment, I guess you would know what you are looking for. Hope you had a big car anyway.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Oh I've seen some shocking RLJing from both cyclists and vehicles.

 

[G-Zero]

*sits back, awaits flaming*

Not from me I'm from the same "different world" that ohnovino refers to earlier, a fairly quiet wonderland where RLJs are a rarity.

As the title says, this is my first actual experience of what is obviously common place in the big cities and obviously one RLJ isn't going to have the same impact on you, as it did on me seeing it for the first time. I always imagined RLJs to be like Red Light described earlier, cycling through gaps in the traffic, not creating the gaps.

 

[TheDoctor]

True enough. I've got kind of inured to it over the years.