Comments on: Cycling Through Red Lights

By: mac

mac — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:04:32 +0000

What about the cyclist who jumps a red light and gets killed by a driver using thier mobile phone ?
If the driver had not been using their phone it may not have happened , but surley it certainly would not have happened had the cyclist not jumped the red light?
PS: you should not use a phone while driving.

By: Baht At

Baht At — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:35:00 +0000

cyclists on pavements should be shot, or at the very least throttled with their own lycra knickers.

By: ThunderDragon

ThunderDragon — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:44:00 +0000

That cyclist has only has themselves to blame but, of course, the driver shouldn’t be been speeding or using their phone.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:27:00 +0000

There is no such thing as clear road. The cyclist who jumped the red lights, in the case highlighted yesterday on the news paid with his life. Yes the driver was texting and doing 45mph in a 30 zone, but who cares about blame when you’re siting up there on your cloud looking down on the life you could’ve had, if you’d just obeyed the laws. That applies to all road users.

By: ThunderDragon

ThunderDragon — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:08:00 +0000

I wear hi-vis, and have lights. The issue is simply the demonstrative idiocy of the drivers who use it who make it unsafe to be used by cyclists.

Any lepton can also buy a car, just not legally drive it. But that doesn’t stop anyone.

By: Timmy Magic

Timmy Magic — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:24:00 +0000

Sadly the people who call the council and police for local matters don’t care about the burglary/robbery/street crime in their area, they care about cycling on the pavement and through red lights. It seems petty, but in my experience, that’s how it is!

As for cycle lanes on pavements, there are guidelines on the width of a pavement that can have a cycle lane. If it’s wide enough, a cycle lane can be put in. If not, it stays illegal to cycle there.

If you don’t feel safe on the roundabout, make yourself safer. Wear a hi-viz, have lights on, take the roundabout a bit slower or quicker - whatever works best!

Regarding police cyclists speaking to “idiot car drivers”, the same could be said for idiot cyclists on the pavement. Roads are for wheels, pavements are for feet.

Also bear in mind the difference in law for bikes and cars. Cars are registered and you need to take a test beofre driving one. Any lepton can buy a bike…

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:26:00 +0000

Husband was stopped by police after going through red lights on his bike at 7 in the morning on a completely deserted road (except I suppose for the police car! Which, now I come to think about it, makes me wonder why he did it!)

He has also had plenty of close shaves including one with a security van who pulled out in front of him. He pedalled hard and cuaght up with them at the lights and thumped on the van. It’s a wonder he didn’t get arrested then!

By: ThunderDragon

ThunderDragon — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:52:00 +0000

1) I’m not denying that. But the police should be out there catching real criminals rather than trying to get £30 from me doing something that I *wouldn’t* be doing if the motorists obeyed the laws themselves. [Also - how can that law be justified when cycle lanes are also put on pavements? Or is cycling on one of those breaking the law as well? Cos I do that too.]

2) I have plenty of confidence and competence in myself, thank you very much - just not in the idiots who drive round this roundabout during rush hour. Who appear to feel that I *am* not there or *shouldn’t* be there. I didn’t just wake up one morning decide not to cycle through it, but made a the decision based on the danger posed to my life by using it.

As a police response cyclists, get out there and have a word with every idiotic car driver who doesn’t recognise either the rights or existence of cyclists.

And I bet you don’t face even half the problems the rest of us who don’t cycle around with POLICE emblazoned across our backs do.

I respect their right to be there. They just don’t respect mine.

By: Timmy Magic

Timmy Magic — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:07:00 +0000

I enter this discussion as both a cyclist and a policeman and have 2 points to make

1) The law is concrete and nopen for discussion. Jumping red lights is illegal. That’s it. How the law is enforced is a different matter, and entails some sense of discretion. If you jump a red light and a policeman sees, you might get a ticket or you might not. Try it if you like, but don’t moan if it costs you £30

2) If “it is not possible for me not to without putting myself in great danger on a specific roundabout” then you are either lacking confidence or competence. Either way, it isn’t safe to be on the road and you should take to walking not cycling.

I realise that as a police response cyclist, my cycling skills are more honed and I am more confident, but it is a Catch-22 situation. If cyclists don’t respect the road, drivers won’t give them respect. But without the respect of road users, cyclists will have to take risks to saty “safe”

By: Asp

Asp — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:19:00 +0000

Well, if it’s necessary to jump the ‘occasional’ red light, why is it night necessary to jump every red light?

I’m fairly sure that you’ve not been killed from waiting for the light to turn green when required?