One less Cyclist?

[Graham O]

I amagine that this happpens numerous times every day.....I would say that 60% of commuting cyclists ignore red lights....

[Colin Steadman]

yep I see an accident on average once a week.
I would say I myself have a near miss or two each week.
It's a dangerous world...

[mlocke]

About a week ago I was riding to work when a guy came past me - ordinarily I dont like this and would have atleast followed his wheel. On this occasion I was taking it really easy and do I feel lucky because about 5 mins later when he was 100m in front of me a car turned right across him into a side street wiping him out.

I dont know how but he got back up and just started hurling abuse at the driver - who was totally at fault (he seemed ok though but I dont know how!)

[-Adam-]

I'm on my bike about 15-20 hours a week at the moment, not including the odd ride to Uni. And I have some kind of incident with a car every time I get on my bike, usually them getting up my ass or overtaking too close, I always make my feelings clear...

While I generally abide by red lights, I do often find myself crawling past them then getting to the point where I can see its safe to just 'roll on' over the junction... Illegal I know, but dangerous? not really...

I don't fancy the courier option of cruising through without a care for whats coming though...

[Col]

[quote]And I have some kind of incident with a car every time I get on my bike, usually them getting up my ass or overtaking too close, I always make my feelings clear...

While I generally abide by red lights, I do often find myself crawling past them then getting to the point where I can see its safe to just 'roll on' over the junction... Illegal I know, but dangerous? not really...

[Jon H]

Anyone who jumps red lights has it coming to them and deserves all they get. I saw some nobhead this morning do the triple - jumping red lights, no lights on his bike, and riding on the footpath as and when he suited him.

[size=59]Rant over[/size]

[Mike I]

I wonder what the reaction would be if a motorist wrote: "...if I can get through red lights before the car race to the next set of lights/jam I will do so".

Or how about the driver who decides that he knows when it is safe to cross a red light, even though he is breaking the law when doing so?

I'm convinced that a sizeable minority of drivers already hate us, mostly through jealousy as we're not stuck in traffic in some tin box. There is no need to give them any further reason or to concede the moral high ground. If you want to use the road, abide by the rules, it really is that simple.

[size=75][Five minute rant over. If anyone wants the full half hour, let me know.][/size]

[Col]

It's not that simple it's totally different the safety inside a car compared to the vulnerability of a cyclist, the key factor is safety to all roads users and if cars observed speed limits and waited to overtake safely the hundreds of people they kill every year would be reduced, the main danger caused by cyclists is to themselves very very rarely to other roads users unlike cars.

[-Adam-]

[quote="Col"]It's not that simple it's totally different the safety inside a car compared to the vulnerability of a cyclist, the key factor is safety to all roads users and if cars observed speed limits and waited to overtake safely the hundreds of people they kill every year would be reduced, the main danger caused by cyclists is to themselves very very rarely to other roads users unlike cars.

[Andrew G]

[quote]If you want to use the road, abide by the rules, it really is that simple.

[Tony]

It strikes me that if you're capable of navigating a Give-Way junction safely (or even crossing a road) then you are capable of running a red light safely. All you need to remember is that you've run the red light so you have the lowest priority of all road users at that point - including pedestrians.

Even in a car is there any point stopping at a red light when there's no need? Strikes me as a waste of time, petrol, excess CO2 etc.

Junctions are inherently dangerous for cyclists and it's best to get away from them as soon as it is safe to do. No point hanging around for more traffice queues to develop and potentially conceal you from other road users. Get through the junction, get up to speed and get more visible on the open road as soon as you can.

The only fly in the ointment is the subset of riders who are too irresponsible to judge when it's appropriate and when it's not....

[Will]

Obeying red lights seems pretty sensible to me

If you work on the assumption that everyone else is obeying the lights too, then it makes the journey more predictable, and so generally safer

Of course, not everyone obeys the rules, but working on that premise seems to be a good way to minimse the risks

[Grahame]

I want cyclists to be seen as legitimate road users.

If I want to be seen to be legitimate I should obay the rules.

I stop at red lights. It doesn't add much to the journey time. Plus, if you are doing a journey regularly, you get to know the sequence and timings of the lights so you have a good idea of whether it is worth speeding up or slowing down on the run up to a set so that they are green when you get there.

If 5 minutes is that important, set off 5 minutes earlier, or be 5 minutes late (if the important thing is 5 minutes more snooze in the morning).

[Elliot M]

do unto others (whether they be in car or not) as you would have them do unto you.

as a pedestrian, every day i have to look out for cyclists crossing on the green man (particularly round Tulse Hill BR). yes most give way, not all do and a collision would hurt.

they all do a kind of "i'm not really here" head down, no eye contact thing that really annoys me.

[Richard (Apples)]

I posted on a similar subject a couple of weeks ago.

I commute in from Tooting to Liverpool St almost every day and there is an incident at least a couple of times a week.

Last week a driver shouted at me for pulling in front of him , at a red light where thoses green cycle only boxes are. !!

I hadnt done anything wrong and had the right to be there .

When he overtook me up the road he mouthed F*****G W****R.

When he got stopped at the very next set of lights I rode up to his window and asked him what the problem was.

He said you shouldn't have pulled in front of me (wrong) but then he said

"YOU BLOKES ARE ALL THE SAME"

This is where the problem lies....its the perception by car/bus/cab drivers that ALL cyclists are:

Jumping lights
Riding on the pavement
Not giving way at junctions...etc. etc

I think most of the people on this forum have been on the CR and when do we ever jump lights on that ??

Or is that because we are identifiable in the club colours ??

I know drivers and peds can be anoying and sometimes dangerous in what they do and I believe as vulnerable road users they should give us more consideration but If every day hundreds of cyclists continue to flout the rules of the road we all by association are going to be the focus of anger.