Sin bin for red light jumping cyclists

[Punkawallah]

Enforcing traffic light stop lines would be useful, if it has an advance cyclists stop line its the one place where BMW drivers suddenly regard themselves as cyclists

Have sympathy for BMW drivers - they pay for indicators they never get to use ;-)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Spot the difference.

Well done again, several hours after we had already covered that. Does not detract that nine times out if ten, a driver will enter those advance boxes when the light is amber or red. The law gives a get out clause, and really ought to be changed to must, like cross hatched junctions.

 

[matticus]

Do we think all the pedestrians in London are angels? Try this junction on a bike:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/DNMciEmRk2Nc9Wcn6

See all those cyclists waiting at a red light to turn left (North)? If you join them you will find that when the light goes green, and the junction is clear of motorists, a mob of pedestrians will cross Victoria Embankment Road (on their way East) creating mayhem in your path.

 

[matticus]

no we dont, but some of us do have to visit the place fairly often, and its a very noticeable issue thesedays. and that walking around as a pedestrian, you do feel somewhat that just walking on a pavement let alone crossing the road has become more fraught than it should be.

equally one has to remember our politicians, and a good chunk of the MSM spend their lives in a Londonbubble that means they often see London as being totes representative of the UK and no doubt would more than happily introduce some new law or restriction or something just to be seen to be doing something

OK ... so what are you hoping for here? None of these campaigns are going to make a huge difference in RLJs ... and even if they did, remember drivers kill 40times as often at red lights than cyclists, so you won't be improving safety in London! (at best you might remove some cyclists from the roads, if the punishments get really draconian)

So these campaigns just allow the "... be seen to be doing something". which just riles up more anti-cyclist feeling "Hoorah, that'll teach the little cockroaches!" Seriously, how do you see that improving the reputation of cyclists? As several have said:

Cyclists could find a cure for cancer and eradicate poverty and we'd still be demonised, because large sections of the media and social media rely on rage-bait to sustain their existence.
.

 

[matticus]

This last paragraph speaks volumes at the end of the article
Fyans said most cyclists do follow the Highway Code, but that a focus on bicycle users was “disproportionate” and a result of the rising number of bike users on London’s roads.

“I think there’s double standards quite often,” he said. “We’re not the biggest danger. It’s cars and speeding and drivers not paying attention that kill people on our roads. That’s the biggest challenge that needs addressing.”

He's not wrong:
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/drivers-ignoring-red-traffic-lights-5HjdQ4D_2/

Department for Transport figures show 23 people were killed and 1,658 were injured in crashes on Britain's roads in 2023, in which a driver disobeying a traffic signal was recorded as a contributory factor​

 

[mjr]

Wrong.
I suggest you check the highway code

Please tell me what you think is wrong and I'll explain why it's not.

Remember that the highway code simplifies the law to the point that parts are basically false for cycling. Several of us pointed that out in the last major consultation, but the government back then didn't correct it.