The Penalty For Jumping A Red Light

[Kablinsky]

After a recent 'incident' a policeman kindly informed me that there is a £60 fine for jumping red lights. The 'incident' in question involved me slowing well in advance for a red light but being a lazy sod and not wanting to unclip I ended up a couple of yards past the white line when it changed. 300 yards up the road and there he is waiting for me with his blue lights flashing. I didn't argue with him as techincally I was in the wrong but I'd like to see the same attention to detail given to cars sitting in the cycle area (don't know correct name for it) at some traffic lights.

 

[BentMikey]

This is the UK - thank goodness there's no jaywalking law.

 

[hackbike 666]

RLJing is not going to stop...Neither is mobile phone use until the cops start doing something about it and the courts start clamping down harder on crimes....

In Thailand they dont faff about*.(Then again money talks there as well)

*When it comes to drugs...AFAIK

The cops have guns also.

 

[marinyork]

Crank....You are correct sir, however it is what I would like to see happen...after all the bike is a vehicle and it is being used on the road!

This is about the most stupid suggestion I've ever seen on this forum and one from someone who likes to pretend because they are a PCSO they are a know it all and some kind of expert. Do you have any particular weighty reasons for this ludicrous suggestion?

 

[al78]

They could also nab peds who jay walk as well.

No such thing as jay walking in the UK.

 

[hackbike 666]

No such thing as jay walking in the UK.

Surprised I didn't get done in New York...I did enough of it there.

 

[Vikeonabike]

This is about the most stupid suggestion I've ever seen on this forum and one from someone who likes to pretend because they are a PCSO they are a know it all and some kind of expert. Do you have any particular weighty reasons for this ludicrous suggestion?

Somone in York go round and SLAP Marin for me......PCSO.....FFS

Yes....We all want the same rights as cars, lorries and busses. We want to share the road, and being ON the road we should be treated the same way....Break the laws of the road and you should be punished the same as and other ROAD USER! I would also hope that we would also then benefit from the same protection as other road users get.


Just to wind up Marin I would also extend this to other offences. Including using a mobile phone whilst cycling on a road.

 

[thomas]

Yes....We all want the same rights as cars, lorries and busses. We want to share the road, and being ON the road we should be treated the same way....Break the laws of the road and you should be punished the same as and other ROAD USER! I would also hope that we would also then benefit from the same protection as other road users get.

We should then have to do a test, be insured, have our bikes MOTed, etc.

 

[marinyork]

Somone in York go round and SLAP Marin for me......PCSO.....FFS

I am not particularly interested in what you are, all I can say is if you are a police officer, you should really carry yourself a bit better and learn your road knowledge a bit better, there's quite a large scope for improvement there.

Yes....We all want the same rights as cars, lorries and busses. We want to share the road, and being ON the road we should be treated the same way....Break the laws of the road and you should be punished the same as and other ROAD USER! I would also hope that we would also then benefit from the same protection as other road users get.

I don't want the same rights as cars, I have the right to use the roads in general terms because cycling is not perceived to be the case to need a license, let alone a fairly lengthy learning process one that happens here or in other countries for various types of motor vehicle to differing extents. That is a totally and utterly different emphasis than for cars, let alone buses and lorries. Similarly I don't want similar rights to motor vehicles when I'm a pedestrian, I can already walk on the roads in general terms and have a right to do so.

On the balance of benefits to cost it would also be rejected being treated the same whether in terms of license or clamp down on quite a few of the offences. This apples and oranges business is silly, both laws and punishments should be consistent - treating motor vehicles and bicycles as outlined in your plan above it not that, so I have no interest in that. They should also be weighted proportionally in terms of the problem and consequences. There is also the public interest argument and whether it is worth it on tight resources - again I'd rather people behaved but I'm not really interested in grumpy residents complaining about a few questionable cycling incidents and diverting resources to there instead of much more serious offences.

Just to wind up Marin I would also extend this to other offences. Including using a mobile phone whilst cycling on a road.

Yes, I know, you didn't quantify that either. You do seem quite keen on sorting out mobile phone problems with cars though, which is one big plus in your favour, which I'm not sure whether it makes up for other areas, people would probably give you the benefit of the doubt if you didn't start going on about these other ideas with little justification.

Speaking more generally if one believes there is this so called RLJ problem - which there isn't (cyclists often exaggerate how often it occurs outside of London vs the proportion of cars doing it) one can just up the fine to say £90. One would then really probably have to look to upping the fine to cars too.

P.S. if you want some justification as to the other stuff, go and look up one of the many debates about 'respect' and out groups we've had on this forum. Cyclists won't get respect from motorists until as dellzeqq says we take over. All this silly lizban type silly gesture politics I believe would probably backfire rather than appease motorists (who misbehave anyway).

 

[lit]

We should then have to do a test, be insured, have our bikes MOTed, etc.

Ok I'll bite, Council tax.

 

[rusky]

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8094039.Brighton_cyclist_fined___700/

 

[rb58]

Surely the penalty for red light jumping is death? And if anyone thinks it isn't a problem, they're welcome to join me on my 15 mile commute out of London. For the first 3 or 4 miles, more people do it than don't. Ignoring the rules of the road strips cyclists of their right to complain about motorists breaking the same rules - pot, kettle, black and all that.

 

[thomas]

Ok I'll bite, Council tax.

sorry?

Surely the penalty for red light jumping is death? And if anyone thinks it isn't a problem, they're welcome to join me on my 15 mile commute out of London. For the first 3 or 4 miles, more people do it than don't. Ignoring the rules of the road strips cyclists of their right to complain about motorists breaking the same rules - pot, kettle, black and all that.

No it doesn't. If I jump red lights, I can't complain. If another cyclist jumps a red light, what bearing does that truly have on my right to complain about a motorist jumping a red light?

TBH, a warning or a £30 fine seems about fair for a cyclist going through a red light.

 

[Mark_Robson]

Who cares? Cyclists will always do it no matter what. It would take too much to change the attitude of every cyclist to not RLJ.

You could use the same argument for motorists and that would be just as wrong.

 

[allen-uk]

The point is this.

We ARE all road users. But some cyclists want it both ways.

They want to be treated as pedestrians when it comes to pavements and traffic lights, but 'drivers' when it comes to other vehicles treating them with respect.

If you want to be a pedestrian, and be subject only to laws about pedestrians, get off your bike and push it.


Allen.