Five pages of debate, and so far only one or two contributors have been brave enough to put their head above the parapet and admitted to jumping red lights. So I will admit, I DO jump red lights, where I take the decision that it is perfectly safe to do so.
First off, there are red lights, and there are RED LIGHTS, whether all the holier than thou brigade like it or not. Yes I do know what the law says; I was a Police Officer for 20 years. That was when I learned that most Police Officers do have some common sense, which means that if you also use some common sense about traffic lights then you are most unlikely to incur the wrath of the law.
What I am getting at is this. If you go speeding through a red light in the centre of London during the rush hour, then you deserve all that is heading your way. If on the other hand, you are cycling past the entrance to my local Tesco at 3am and find the traffic lights at red, then what is the point in interrupting your rhythm? There is zero traffic around, and Tescos is closed at that time, so why are the stupid lights not switched off (they were only installed when the Tesco car park was built. Let's not forget the unnecessary CO2 being produced by having the lights on, and this for a company that claims to have an environmentally friendly policy).
Are you all seriously trying to tell me that if you come across a red light at a pedestrian crossing, on a quiet street with no traffic, where the pedestrians have quite clearly already made their way across, that you are going to stop and wait for the light to go to green? Funny how I see cyclists quite sensibly going through such red lights on a daily basis; yet the vast majority of contributors to this thread deny that they have ever done it, and consider it a hanging offence.
To summarise; use a slice of common sense when CAREFULLY negotiating through red lights and you will be safe. If there is ANY chance of coming into conflict with other road users then don't do it. Before anyone asks, yes I drive, and I wouldn't RLJ in a car. This is for 2 reasons: On a cycle you have a far better line of sight as to what is approaching from other directions; and you don't have an endorsable licence for riding a bike.
