Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Cars jumping the lights - Time to demand action!
Recently the police spent 30 mins from 5-5.30pm at the lights on the junction of Warham Road and Green Lanes and recorded 17 bikes / 2 buses / 7 cars ran the red lights.
The police are looking to conduct a formal operation but this takes lots of time and resources. A number of groups (including the police) have pushed for a camera on these lights to catch the offenders but have been met with a lot of passing the buck.
It would be great to make a push on this - we need safe streets. Great to get support to demand action!
Note - Cameras won't catch the bikes but can make an impact on the other offenders. Something is better than nothing...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alice B
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Absolutely - everyone should be prosecuted if they are caught breaking the law. But what are the practicalities of it 24/7?
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Except that isn't what happens - the police, CPS and Courts would crumble (further) under the strain.
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You really dont think the police have priorities and limited resources and therefore have to make choices? And cyclists going through red lights are less of a priority than trucks or cars.
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So essentially you want a camera present to enforce the traffic lights controls. But that we both agree doesn't address the fact that an enforcement camera does absolutely nothing to stop non motor vehicles from breaking the law. So if a child, or say an elderly individual is hurt by a cyclist, or a cyclist themselves gets involved in a collision after crossing a red light signal that's ok because we managed to reduce the number of motor vehicles breaking the law. Sounds odd to me when 17 bikes broke the law and 7 cars broke the law. Call me a cynic but it feels more like a let's not address the actual problem and more like let's punish only a certain group who commit road traffic offences. The others can go Scott free. My view is against this. Anyone who passes through a red light should be prosecuted and there is no room for semantic or selective enforcement.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson
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I don’t think anyone is saying that cyclist should not be prosecuted for causing danger when jumping a red light but there is the practical problem that bikes don’t have a registration identifying the owner so prosecution would need via physical rather than camera enforcement which would require a huge investment in police time.
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Permalink Reply by Ruben
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this is a decades old problem. Policy is permissive with ASB from bicycles on account of difficulty of enforcement. Yet, the only chance of ever tackling it starts somewhere. Where there's a will, there's a way (https://road.cc/ebiketips/content/news/italy-to-require-e-scooter-r...)
there simply isn't a will.
It's much easier to punish a car with a plate. The same it's easier to tax someone on PAYE.
And the behaviour on some offenders is nothing short of offensive.
Regarding operations, the police occasionally do those in Trafalgar Sq. If they did one of these a week in a random location and applied the same penalty point and fine as they give a car (revoke a provisional license or take points for any cyclist with a drivers' license, plus relevant fine). Maybe the attitude would start changing.
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Licenses and penalties don't do much to prevent the worst sort of antisocial behaviour by motorists.
Suggesting they're necessary for cyclists, who barely register in terms of damage to people or property is completely absurd. It's also been discussed many times before and dismissed as totally impractical.
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There's a small 'x' at the top right of your comment, in case you get the opportunity to re-read what you've written here.
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A police operation would take months to organise and only last for a short period of time. We need sustained action to improve the safety of the junction. While I agree that some cyclists behave terribly at this junction, the reality is that catching this is difficult. And in the main, a bike isn't going to kill you - a car, van, lorry or bus just might
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Permalink Reply by Ruth
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The number of times I've nearly been run into by cyclists and now also escooters who seem not to notice red light at pedestrian crossings... They simply don't give a damn. Nor do those cycling on pavements. Pedestrians are at the bottom of the list, where can we walk safely?
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I drive across Green Lanes every day. I wait at the lights in Salisbury road, when they turn green I cross Green Lanes to enter Warham road. A few weeks ago, I was waiting on a red light and when it turned green I pulled away only to have a cyclist run a solid red light from my right (coming form the Salisbury pub side) and appear in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and he "jiggled" as he thought I was going to run him down. He cycled off towards Manor House...
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