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 Gerry Platt on
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I agree, the only time I do move forward to the ASL (not often) is when I see the lights change to red so I know I have time to position myself at the front before the lights change to green. When I do, I position myself in the centre of the lane to avoid a left hook or a close overtake.
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Permalink Reply by LSquared on
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Seriously - just get up 5 minutes earlier! I would be aghast at a motorist who put increasing his journey time by fifth ahead of road safety so why should I accept that as a good reason from a cyclist?
I do commute in the City. I occasionally filter, if I know the lights have just changed AND I can see there is space in the ASL. But mostly I don't bother - it adds at most minutes to the journey and the additional stress just isn't worth it. They call that little cycle path up to the ASL the Lemming Lane for a reason.
I used to, of course - like many novice cyclists I thought that was the right thing to do - after all everyone does it and why else would they design the roads that way? I even had the helmet camera :D
Then I tried - not. Instead of acting like a cyclist with special rules, I tried acting like a road user. And I found my commute much less stressful, and drivers much more courteous, and I had far fewer uncomfortably close shaves. And I was frankly amazed to realise just how much of the stresses "everyone" gets cycling are entirely optional.
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No one has suggested safety at absolutely any cost. Safety at minimal cost however I am all for. Plus if people are going to claim that the only way to be safe is to jump red lights of course I am going to counter that, because it is not true.
It's my experience that the time impact of chilling out and hanging back on a bike is very small, and the gain by lowering stress is very high, and that very few of the type of near miss that "happens to everyone" happen to me. Given what we know about the effect of stress on long term health I suggest it's doing me more good than 5 extra minutes of exhaust fumes are doing me harm.
So yes, that's certainly worth an hour of my time a week. Perhaps you could try it and let us know how it goes for you?
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Yes, there is a growing concern that road design implicitly endorses unsafe cycling by encouraging cyclists into risky positions. In particular, whether poor design of the cycle route is a factor in the multiple tragedies at Bow Roundabout.
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Whilst I have no sympathy for Tighe's fine and deep dismay for the stupid, selfish attitude, I am heartened by the many of the replies to this thread. Although RLJing is dangerous (not least to peds), The number of cyclists after dark is also a hazard.
On last Thursday evening (another tragic day), I set out at about 6pm to transport a patient and escort home in my ambulance. Conversation turned to the horrific toll of cyclists and also the number of cyclists without lights. Between my base at Gt. Ormond St. Hosp. & Hackney Wick we counted 41 unlit bikes including 1 STUPID WOMAN with a very young child on the back. Most cyclists are 100% but the stupidity of some just defies belief!
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Permalink Reply by ant on
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Too right about the car drivers.
All the extreme and inflammatory language being used here and in the cycling on footpaths thread is ridiculous, more motor vehicle drivers are worse and far more dangerous and thats where the focus should be.So to add some fun back into whats become quite a mean sounding thread how about we also offer a fiver to anyone who can get us a photo of one of the people posting here violating some traffic law? That should help quieten the hypocrites. How many of you have driven down Wightman and never made the 20mph warning sign light up?
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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I have never driven down Wightman Road and made the 20mph sign light up because I don't own a car, Do I get a fiver Ant?
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Sorry Michael, you don't seem to meet the criteria of of any of my £5 offers.
So come on the rest of you who are drivers, you've all gone a bit quiet now. Forget using you cellphone while driving even, none of you prepared to admit that yes on occasion you've been driving on Wightman or a Ladder road and noticed oops going way over 20mph and need to slow done a bit, but still say thats ok for you and its cyclist tigha thats the real danger here and a "self righteous ignorant anti-social inconsiderate idiot" that needs to "have her bike taken off her" or for someone to "run into her and kill her"? -
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Permalink Reply by KatyT on
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There is a massive difference between accidentally slightly exceeding the speed limit and then taking action to ensure that you observe the rules of the road and deliberately flouting the rules of the road - and stating that you intend to continue doing so. How can you not see that?
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Accidentally exceeding the speed limit in a motor vehicle shows that you are not in control of it and the fact that it is done regularly and by most people is fightening. Of course if they are deliberately doing it to get somewhere faster then that's alright but it's back at being the equivalent of deliberately jumping a red light.
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No - doing 22mph instead of 20mph doesn't mean you're out of control of the car. Can you actually drive?!
And the whole 'car drivers break the law so it's OK for cyclists to do it' is a race to the bottom. Neither should break the law, but doing it intentionally is just plain stupid.
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I don't run red lights when I cycle and I try very very hard to drive within the speed limits in urban environments. My main philosophy on the road is that I am trying to be mindful of more vulnerable road users. This attitude can lead to a high level of frustration from passengers who feel urgency is more important. Try doing exactly 20mph down Wightman Rd and you will probably be over taken, dangerously.
Doing 22mph when you are intending, presumably, to do 20mph is by definition "out of control". I am saying that the vast majority of drivers think it's OK to do 25mph in a 20mph zone, deliberately "breaking the law" and not seeing that this is dangerous for pedestrians (the argument given for why cyclists should not run red lights).
I've been driving for 26 years thank you very much.
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