Would RLJing have been the safer option?

[eddiemee]

I don't RLJ, but there was a non-incident last night that made we wonder if maybe it would be safer in certain very specific circumstances. Such as...

Last night, ~11pm, approaching a large roundabout with several sets of lights around it. I'm wearing a yellow backpack with reflective strips, two fixed and one flashing light with freshly charged batteries. Stopped at the first set of lights on the main road leading to the roundabout. I'm in primary in the third of four lanes when an articulated lorry pulls alongside in the fourth lane. Lights turn green, I take off and build up a 20-30 foot lead on the lorry, so he can easily see me. We're now on the roundabout, I'm still in the third lane and the lights ahead turn amber. At this stage there is plenty of room for me (and any vehicles, even large ones) to stop safely, and if I had carried on the light would have been red for 1-2s by the time I passed through it. All well and good so far.

Then I heard the horrible sound of a very large diesel engine giving it some. That's right, our friend in the lorry has remember that amber means 'accelerate as hard as you can, otherwise you'll be delayed by 15 seconds at the red light'. This particular roundabout seems to pose a lot of problems for people who can't understand the clear and repeated signs on the approach roads to get in the correct lane. So there are always lots of vehicles swapping lanes halfway around. Also, I'm conscious that lorries sometimes use up two lanes to make it easier for them to manouevre. So while the last time I saw him he was in lane 4, he now sounds like he might be closer to lane 3. I don't have time to look around before making up my mind: Stop? Or hammer time?

I stopped, the lorry continued accelerating and blazed through a light that had been red for 2-3 seconds. No harm done, I come home and have a beer. But it nagged at me that maybe for the sake of being safe I should have floored it, deliberately RLJ'd and put as much space between me and the accelerating lorry as possible, just in case. What do people think?

 

[srw]

Is it, by any chance, a junction with a dual carriageway or a motorway? If so, avoid the roundabout.

At that time of night on that sort of roundabout I'd be inclined to find an alternative route or, failing that, get off and push. There's no point in being a hero and mixing it with heavy traffic if it puts you at unnecessary risk. That might be a copout, but it will avoid the situation you outline.

 

[hackbike 666]

I wouldn't worry about the 'copout' as you call it.I have been using the upper/lower thames street to Southwark Bridge and got fed up with the crap roadworks and potholes caused by lorries/buses.I realise the London Bridge route is better as I don't mix it with lorries so much.Basically I changed my route due to the roadworks but only have to battle buses and not so many lorries.im happy with that.

 

[HLaB]

If the OP had assessed the situation and decided it wasn't safe to stop; I wouldn't have called going through on amber a RLJ.

 

[benborp]

I don't think the junction is the issue. It's the attitude of the drivers behind. Every red or amber light even at the simplest junction or crossing on my commute (south London) is a risky moment for being hit from behind and I will attempt to mitigate those risks generally with defensive positioning but occasionally it will involve running a light; either coming to a stop ahead of the line or sometimes being pushed all the way through the junction by the following car.

I once threw myself off the bike to save myself not from the car that was following me (who I fully expected to run the light and left ample room for him to do so) but from the van that then undertook the car at horrendous speed in order to run the light. The van driver had no idea I was there and skimmed me while I was stationary.

 

[joolsybools]

There's barely a day goes by in London where I don't see several cars/lorries/buses jumping clearly red lights (indeed accelerating through).

Hyde Park Corner and Vauxhall bridge are the worst ones I see, in fact I can't remember the last time I didn't see this.

Its always difficult to know what the right thing to do in situations like the OPs and indeed every situation will be slightly difficult. I think protect your own life would be the best advice and learn from every experience.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

I jumped a red that had just turned a couple of months ago going through Kensington. It was a crossing with no one near and an Audi that had been driving very aggressively was so close to my back wheel I was too scared to stop in case he rear-ended me. I got pulled over by a police van for RLJing but when the officer started to wag his finger at me I took a deep breath, put on my 'don't f*** with me' voice and pointed out that he'd stopped me because I was a girl on a bike and he was obviously too frightened to take on the guy who'd harrassed and bullied me in the Audi. He let me off.

 

[srw]

I don't think the junction is the issue. It's the attitude of the drivers behind.

In the situation of the OP it's easier to change the junction than the drivers' attitude! In London on main roads it's different, of course.

 

[benborp]

And this happened on the way home this evening.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBMwz6fAf7s


I normally take a more central position at this junction when I stop as there is a pinch point on the other side, however I had a hunch...

 

[eddiemee]

Thanks for the comments everyone. In response to some of the specific points/questions:

srw: Yes, it is on a dual carriageway. In fact two, one that continues across the rounadabout, and the one that I was coming from. In total there are five roads leading onto the roundabout. There is a footbridge which would involve a ~5 minute diversion, might consider it.

HLaB: My original assessment was that I had ample time to brake safely. In fact even if I had given it gas straight away the light would still have been red as I went through it. Unfortunately the revving of the engine behind only started after I had started to apply the brake, so my second go/no-go assessment had to be made almost instantly.

benborp: Agree it's the attitude of following traffic that causes the problem. This situation arose solely because the lorry driver deliberately accelerate in the knowledge that the light would be red by the time he reached it. He had ample time to brake safely well before the stop line if he chose to do so. The issue really is what drivers assume other drivers will do. As most people are aware it is almost common practice for at least one or two cars to push or even blatantly jump the red at each signal change. Now if the following motorist is perfectly happy to jump a red, and expects that the motorist/cyclist in front is going to at the very least accelerate on yellow then you quickly get a collision.

Now the tricky bit: am I trying too hard to pre-empt what other motorist have pre-empted? In all likelihood the lorry driver in my situation was perfectly well aware of me and knew that he was going past me in a different lane. Hence his 'only' fault was RLJing. But what's nagging me is that if this isn't the case then next time I'm looking at a serious incident and fit as I am I doubt I'd come off well against a 40 tonner.

Perhaps I'm just overanalysing as these are the risks we all take on a daily basis and trying to predict another person's actions is a futile endeavour. But at the same time I hope that by looking at those situations where no harm was done I can learn something that might save my life at some point in the future.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

It's always a dodgy subject.Ped crossings are the same as you don't know if the motorist behind you is going to stop.