Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Fined for jumping a red light
So I can hear many people being pleased about this, but I can promise you fining people for jumping red lights doesnt work
its the 2nd time I have been fined and this time it cost me £50 on a very rainy monday by a very grumpy young PC- not happy- all cars staitonary- and no pedestrians
But will it stop me ( or other serial red light jumpers like me)- well its a BIG FAT NO-
Its just now I will have to make sure there are no police cars in the vicinity- So infact instead of making the roads safer, instead of me previously doing a thorough check of the road of any cars, pedestrians, other cyclists., I now have to check for police which means Im possibly less than 100% focused on everything else
So to put this in context
I am a middle age woman who has been cycling in london on a daily basis for the last 30years. I have been knocked off quite a few times( absolutely none of them my fault)
2 of my accidents in my early years of cycling where when i was leaving traffic lights- so I learnt like many other cyclists, traffic lights are dangerous places to stop- So provided its totally clear, get on your way. The more cyclists on the road, the worst junctions seem with the cluster of cyclists trying to find room with cars behind getting impatient and trying to squeeze through dangerously narrow gaps
So you are never going to convince me or many other cyclists its safer to stop at red lights- although i might be a bit richer
So any PC PlODS out there dont waste your time especially on a rainy day - go and catch real crims
So i know many wont agree wth this, but unfortunately a few cyclists give us all a bad name- such as cyclists
who jump lights in a dangerous way( when there are cars around
cyclists who go on pavments and weave around pedestians- scarring them
cyclists who dont stop at pedestrian crossings when people are crossing-terrible!!!!!!!!!!
But something needs to be done with all these recent deaths, and I would be really interested in what the circumstances were- i would guarantee it wasnt due to jumping a light-unless of course the person had been drinking etc
Most bad accidents/fatalities happen by people obeying the law- so the law needs to be changed
And when are pedestrians going to be fined for jay walking across roads and knocking cyclists off
I got sent flying only 2 months ago by a pedestrian running out in front of me on green lanes, close to the ale emporium- the 3rd time a pedestrian has knocked me off over the years
Right Rant finished
And anyone/cyclist wants to make our roads safer, see the petition below
Replies are closed for this discussion.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by LSquared on
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I don't like ASLs at all - they encourage the "must get to the front" attitude that many cyclists have when just sitting in line with the traffic is usually safer.
But agreed, since they exist they should be enforced, otherwise its the worst of both worlds.
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I didn't say cyclists should be to the side. That is not safe either. They should be sitting the lane as part of the traffic, and take off with the traffic. There is no need whatsoever for cyclists to be at the side of stationary traffic.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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I once had a word with a copper in town when the ASL was parked over by 2 cars leaving me with no where to go- I said was there nothing he could do. His response to me was 'No...is voluntary', ie, the cars can choose to or not to respect the ASL. From what I see here he was just flipping me off- wish I had got his number and pressed him on it! Lazy git.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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It's certainly not voluntary, but a vehicle can stop in the ASL if the light goes red AFTER they have crossed the first ASL line.
- Met Website -
The offence is committed when the vehicle enters the ASL box when the light is red. If the vehicle enters the box and the light changes to red, no offence is committed
Rule 178 of the Highway Code states: If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white line at the time that the signal goes red, you MUST stop at the second white line, even if your vehicle is in the marked area.
We don’t want motorists to wrongly believe that they shouldn’t stop in the ASL box under any circumstances – this might cause someone to panic, drive through a junction and cause an accident.
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Permalink Reply by Finsbury Park Ranger on
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Your personal safety is much more important than any stupid law. People that obey laws to the detriment of their health need their head examined.
Some lights should allow cyclists to pass slowly if no one is crossing. Because the law infringes the evolutionary drive to self preserve ones life sometimes, its no wonder it gets flouted other times.
It's very similar to the drugs laws. If you legislate that ecstasy is as dangerous as heroin and marijuana more dangerous than tobacco, the legitimacy of those laws fall into disrepute and it becomes widely broken. -
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People who put themselves in a position where the only way to be safe is to break the law need to take a good look at their road skills - the reason they "have" to RLJ is to mitigate the poor road reading which put them in a risky position in the first place.
I can only think of one situation where it's safer to jump a red light, and that is when you are pretty sure the driver behind you is going to jump it too and won't stop in time if you brake.
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No cyclist in their right mind is going to happily sit behind a car exhaust, it's not happening. You can even speak to black cab drivers these days that appreciate it's better for all to let the cyclist go on ahead, really don't think that's even up for debate.
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I do. Plenty of experienced, skilled cyclists do.
Yes, once a cyclist has made the decision to filter around the traffic, it's better for them to get to the front than get trapped in between the cars. But often it's better not to filter in the first place. If you are going to get through in the same cycle of lights anyway, what's the point?
Yes, there are dangers and there are terrible drivers, and accidents between motorists and cyclists are very rarely the fault of the cyclists. But there are things cyclists can do to mitigate the risk they face from poor drivers.
It is so depressing to have cyclists complain about the danger they perceive on the road yet refuse to stop the behavior that puts them in unsafe positions.
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Completely agree with all of this.
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Permalink Reply by Gerry Platt on
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We're breathing exhaust all the time, I use this position but leave a gap of, say 3 ft, between me & the car in front.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Gerry, I also gulp in exhaust as I walk down the road. Does that make me any less important than a cyclist? I work in Kings Cross and I can count on the fingers of one finger when a motorised vehicle has jumped the lights as I cross Euston Road at least twice a day. For cyclists it's a few times each week (including the one who shouted at me on Thursday to "get out of my @@@@@ way" as he plowed though a bunch of bewildered French predestrians fresh off the Eurostar. I have been hit three times in the last year by red light jumpers and the last time I remonstrated was told that I would be "minced" which was quite amusing as one who could write the book about mincing.
I admire those who cycle in London, I personally couldn't do it. But I am sick of hearing excuses by the small minority who think that the rules of the road do not apply to them. If you can't do it, don't cycle and stop blaming others for your own poor behaviour. If I am stuck on a bus with 50 people, held up a meandering pedal pusher I don't think it's appropriate to the bus to ride on the pavement to get around them. Reasonable?
Sorry to attach this to your post but some of the self righteous (it's up to me when I obey the law) stuff coming on this thread made me less than calm. -
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