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 tigha on
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Oh and i forgot to add I think there should be compulsory training for cyclists as well as training for car drivers lorries
so many cyclists still go up the inside of trucks about to turn
City police did a great initiative a few years ago, where they stopped all cyclists going through red lights and made them sit up in HVG lorry so the could get an idea how limited the view for drivers was
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Permalink Reply by ant on
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You have my sympathy tigha. I remember reading somewhere about the police doing a blitz in Harringay on cyclists going through red lights, it seemed so daft to me with all the bigger problems we have. I mean, the number of times i see people driving down Frobisher and Falkland Rds, past a primary school, while on their cell phone, but instead they're wasting time on this, which as you say is safer for the cyclists to get out of they way.
PM me and i'll give you £5 towards the fine, hopefully a few others can offer to do the same too.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Yes, the Police do have better things to do and perhaps they could get on with them if they didn't have to waste their time dealing with idiots who think they can decide when and when not to obey the rules of the road.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I am not going to disagree with anything you have said about safety etc. I'll just tell you why I DO stop at red lights (no, not just because it's the law): it is because in this country pedestrians have first right on the road. They are the ones allowed to cross without traffic lights and that means that cyclists can't.
Last year I watched a PC on a bicycle on Bishopsgate crash into a pedestrian (both female) who was crossing against the red light. All they could do was pick themselves up and continue on.
This post is actually very relevant to Harringay because it was outside the Salisbury Hotel that Britain's first ever pedestrian traffic light was installed and a temporary law banning pedestrians from the road unless the light was green. The law lapsed and now pedestrians, defacto, have the first right on the road.
I think it is incredibly subversive of Ant to offer to contribute towards your fine so I will too £5.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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I don't jump lights (or ride through zebra & pelican crossings) on my daily commute cycling as I adhere to the law. I have never had one issue with waiting at the lights, not one. I have never had an incident or being knocked off as I command my space on the road. I have been riding in London for about twelve years.
The other week I was the only one of a pack of about ten cyclists who didn't get fined at a pedestrian crossing near the Sobell.
I am sorry I have no sympathy and it's about time responsible cyclists took back the moral high ground. You cannot comment on other road users and their aggressive behaviour and act the same way. I agree with making cycling safer and investing heavily in cycle routes, education and safety. Sorry, it's a absolute pet hate of mine.
This is not a sectarian, them and us argument. Queue predictable abuse. -
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Permalink Reply by michaelw on
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It's worth noting that I (& my children) have almost been hit by cyclists going through red lights (at high speed) on the pedestrian crossings on green lanes (in the inside of stopped cars). This really is very dangerous.
[I usually try to make it look like I'm about to step in front of them, or sticking my arm out, which makes them notice me - this also works for cars on zebra crossings!]
It's hard enough to cross green lanes with children at the best of times, and it would be good if we could rely on the green man.
Note that I'm a cyclist. -
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Hey Veggie Reggie, is that the purple beast I pulled out from the undergrowth in my back yard, or did it turn out to be not worth repairing? Pam.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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You've proved from your post that you know the law. You go through a red light you're breaking the law. You get caught you pay the fine. Stop moaning.
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Permalink Reply by Lee Andrews on
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Ah, Matt beat me to it - get over yourself!
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Unfortunately the cyclists who give the rest a bad name are the ones who conspicuously flout the law to their own advantage. Despite your assertions that you can do this without endangering yourself (I agree that jumping red lights isn't necessarily dangerous) or anyone else, you're quite clearly one of them.
Pedestrians can't be fined for 'jaywalking' because there is no such offence in the UK. Like John says, they should be given the most respect of anyone using the road, and while I agree that some accidents are unavoidable, the fact is that many cyclists are nowhere near cautious enough in situations where pedestrians may suddenly appear. Green Lanes is a perfect example of this, where people cross the road between stationary traffic.
It's also worth mentioning that the 'strict liability' laws which apply in almost all of the rest of Europe and have been discussed here. While they would make it easier for cyclists to make claims for damages against motorists, the flip side is that any cyclist hitting a pedestrian would leave them open to a civil claim unless they could prove that the accident wasn't their fault. It'd be very welcome from my point of view.
To be honest it sounds like your otherwise a responsible and aware cyclist, I'd just urge you show a little more patience and resist sneaking through lights for no real advantage. Without wanting to come across as condescending, if you find dealing with queues of traffic dangerous (it really needn't be) then free cycle training is available from the council, check the website.
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Despite hopefully making it clear that I strongly disagree with running red lights, I would still argue against any suggestion that doing so is inherently dangerous.
Given the number of one-way streets in London, you often only ever have traffic coming from one direction and can often see it's clear for hundreds of metres. In these situations, riding through the red light is actually much safer than many give way junctions where visibility is obscured by parked cars etc. For example on my way home I turn right out out of Westbourne Rd into MacKenzie Rd in Islington. Judging a suitable gap in traffic and crossing the junction is far more difficult - and potentially dangerous - than riding through many red lights would be, especially if you're turning left.
Also, traffic laws have nothing to do with public opinion, they're about protecting people. Speed limits and traffic lights are necessary to control the behaviour of drivers who would otherwise not be responsible enough to use the roads safely. Cyclists are only expected to follow these laws because they're sharing the same space, otherwise they simply wouldn't be necessary.
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