For all we know he could have also been a bit lippy to the beak

Never in a hurry when I cycle..
Just do not want to get run over whatever the law says..
I always stop at lights, mand then try to anticpate the green to get myself going.
J.

Are you suggesting that if all cyclists stopped RLJing, local councils and the Highways Department would then provide proper facilities for cyclists ?
Or, to put it another way, are you suggesting that they don't provide proper facilities because some of us RLJ ?
I can't see the connection.

Molgrips, the junction was such that getting myself in-front of the traffic would have meant putting myself in the crossing traffic so that option was out. I'd already waited a cycle of the lights to try and start out legally and safely.

As for fair and equitable treatment…some drivers do give cyclists fair and equitable treatment, others, far too many, see bikes as inconveniences, anoyances, less than human even. However, I will always follow the most important "law" of riding on the road, that is to ride in a manner that maximises my safety and minimises my risk whilst putting no others at risk.

Technically, yes. But in principle no. I go to the front (which you're allowed to do), position myself in front of the lead car, and then stop and wait for green. You'd have a hard time prosecuting me for that – especially as they started putting in ASLs to encourage people to do exactly that.

As for why police should bother with this – how much time do you think it took? If the rozzer in question had no other urgent calls to be answering it could well have been 5-10 minutes well spent. I'm sure if he'd been on an emergency call to a drug related gangland shoot-out he'd not have stopped.

I was thinking about the list of offences; picture this, riding towards cross roads, road to the left has people exiting joining the road you are on, road to the right is a dead end and has no cars coming out 90% of the time and nothing at this particular time, there are also no pedestrians at the crossing. As you approach your light changes to red, you nip onto the curb at the crossing – taking the turning to the left hence crossing the path of no traffic, use a 10m stretch of pavement and re-join the road with 0 risk of the being a car approaching from behind as you could see the whole of the junction as you approached.

Police siren goes off, you carry on, figuring they are going after someone who did somehting far more serious, so you carry on regardless till you realise they are following you (not sure that would count as resiting arrest but might count as failing to stop if they got shirty with you).

The theoretical junction is Gilbert road/Histon road in Cambridge (heading into Cambridge) for anyone who wants to check it on street view or who knows it.

I know it's still breking the law, but surely it's a soft break rather than a £700 fine crime, as people on here have pointed out before – you could pay less for ending a life.

Could be an over the top Police description of the situation.

I don't either but it wont hurt the case

Most of the people who make the decisions for funding are likely to be car drivers & if all they see is – what looks like a – a load of gung-ho riding, they may be less likely to treat us favourably

Mmm, and if the majority of car driving people saw their council tax money being frittered away on these morons who won't drive, they'd get annoyed.

Democracy strikes again.

I pull to the front (slowly and carefully) and then stop, waiting for green. I've actually had drivers congratulating me on waiting for green. I don't think I am pissing anyone off.

Only you would consider waiting just over the line to be as bad as blitzing through the entire junction at speed.

Just bought the paper in question so a few more facts to add..
£700 fine plus £215 costs.
Convicted in absence at local magistrate court.
Offence – junction of Dyke road and old shoreham road, about 11:15pm ignored a red light, bunny hopped onto pavement while riding without lights.
The officers tried to flag him down which he ignored and only stopped when they blocked his path and flashed their blues. No mention of any other behaviour.
Bicycle group saying fine was harsh, ROSPA saying cycling causes lots of accidents, police saying the public keep complaining and they will be repsonding to that.
Think the last comment is the factor here..
J.

Spot on, cant stand cyclists who go trhough reds, cycle on pavements etc.

Jerome

That front page story is shocking. Two kids now without a Dad who's death was caused by someone who probably shouldn't have been in this country and certainly should not have been driving. I'm not surprised the widow is angry at the sentence.

Sometimes I despair 😥

so molgrips – some types of red light jumping are worse than others – is that what you are saying?

Right – so you think its OK for you to jump a red light then? As that is what you are doing. But its not OK for me to do so to avoid a dangerous situation?

Failing to stop [car etc.] is up to level 5 fine [£5000]

Depends, TJ – do you continue to ride through the junction and on your merry way whilst everyone else has to wait?

Are the fines still means tested?

From a motorists point of view, creeping over the stopline is wrong and illegal, if cars did it they would be in trouble. There's simply no need if you take the proper road position, and it may get you in the way of pedestrians crossing at that point and puts you legally in the wrong in the case of an accident. Creeping over the line just puts you 1-2m ahead of the traffic meaning you clear the junction before they overtake you – fine, but if you'd take your rightful place in the middle of the lane they wouldn't pass you either, until you pulled over to let them past.

Remember the Rhyl 4

No defence for the RLJ cock, but then there is no defence for cyclists generally apparently !

The whole point (for me at least) is not how leniently would a driver have been treated in the same situation, but is it fair to expect Cyclists as a group of Road users to obey the Law? The simple answer is yes, it’s far easier to effect change from the moral high ground than, a position of “I only break the law because it’s crap” just doesn’t wash when you reverse the argument and apply it to drivers it has to cut both ways…

The fact is he wasn’t in a car he was on a bike and has contributed to the increasingly poor image of urban cyclists; he deserves to be £915 out of pocket…

I just hope I can still do half decent bunny hops, in the dark when i'm 53 😀