Well good for you.
However, humans use others' behaviour to justify and legitimise their own
I just believe most people can differentiate between between the actions of an individual and those of a group, and most people take responsibility for their own actions. By your logic if I saw a white teenager shoplifing, I would have to assume all white teenagers are shoplifters, and it would be fine to also nick something from that shop because the teenager did. It doesn't seem right to me, but keep going.
smell it - if you are already predisposed to dislike a certain group, you WILL use the behaviour of one individual to define that group as a whole.
Happens all the time.
And yes, the behaviour of others does influence our own.
I've commuted the same route in London for 5 years.
I've noticed two things:
- more cyclists
- more cyclists willing to jump red lights
- more pedestrians pissed off with cyclists willing to jump red lights
QED
But it's totally dependent on each individual situation, in't it Brakes?
I mean, RLJing round Parliament Square or somewhere would be insane and utterly stupid, not to mention extremely dangerous.
But when it's late at night, there's no traffic or pedestrians, and I want to get home, I'm not going to be stopping at every flipping light, cos it's just pointless.
Or how about times when a ped presses the button, but then crosses before it turns green for them, and then you get to the lights and they've turned red. No-one else about to cross. I just ride through 'em.
my questions is why bother? what are you in such a rush for that you can't wait one minute for, at most?
TBh, I doubt I run more than 10-20% of all red lights at all times, really. Even if I'm in a hurry, I'll always ride in a manner where my own safety is priority. Funnily enough, this happens to also coincide with needing to ensure safety to pedestrians and other road users.
Loving the sanctimoniousness on here.... 😆
if you are already predisposed to dislike a certain group, you WILL use the behaviour of one individual to define that group as a whole
if I ... already had a grump against [s]saw a[/s] white [s]teenager[/s] teenagers, and saw just one shoplifting, I would [s]have to assume all white teenagers are shoplifters[/s] point and say 'see!'
all of us do this all of the time.
it's the way we're wired.
but we can choose to think around it a bit.
on the RLJ'ing, i realised the other day that i sometimes do the opposite; i stop if it's green.
there's a junction on my way home which can be tricky to cross on 'green'; it's uphill, and it's a long way across, and if i ride through the green light just as it changes, i find myself in the middle of the junction with cars accelerating towards me.
so if it's green, i stop and wait for the red, so i can go ahead of the line and wait for the green, so i can nip across before anyone get's a chance to kill me.
smell it - if you are already predisposed to dislike a certain group, you WILL use the behaviour of one individual to define that group as a whole.
If some ignorant knob has decided to hate all cyclists, I'm not going to waste energy trying to change their onions, quite frankly. I'm too busy just getting on with riding my bike in a manner which ensures my own safety is paramount. 😐
By jumping red lights 😉
But it's totally dependent on each individual situation, in't it Brakes?
if we extrapolate, you are condoning the ignoring of traffic signals by cyclists.
so if all cyclists did this without fear of repercussion, knowing that they did so within the law, what would happen?
bedlam? maybe not.
more accidents? probably.
some cyclists may have the benefit of common sense and the ability to recognise when it is safe to cross the road, others need to be guided by traffic signals.
the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the (arrogant) few.
Loving the sanctimoniousness on here....
Why is it santimonious to expect cyclists to behave with the same consideration that you expect from car drivers?
Do as I say, not as I do eh Elf?
We've got a word for that, beginning with 'h'.
Why is it santimonious to expect cyclists to behave with the same consideration that you expect from car drivers?
There are significant differences between cyclists and cars though. Not least speed and size.
I do think RLJing is a problem, but this is because too many people do stupid things. And yes, it's increasing disproportionately with the number of cyclists in London especially.
Yes, it needs to be addressed.
But then so do myriad other issiues which affect our towns and cities. Not least, the number of cars on the roads.
As for red lights and cycles; how do other countries differ? Are there other countries where cyclists are legally allowed to run certain red lights? What is the affect on road and pedestrian safety in such places?
The issue needs addressing sensibly and thoughtfully, rather than blanketing all people who might jump red lights as 'wronguns'.
There are red lights where the only sensible thing to do is to jump them - those that never go green for a bike, those where the road layout is so dangerous that its safer to jump.
there are those it doesn't matter - where yo can see clearly and there is no risk
There are those its stupid to jump.
I personally jump red lights when it is safer for me to do so. MY safety is paramount
Ultimately I don't care what you do, I do think it sets a bad example to younger riders who don't have the road knowledge and experience. I ride in London and pass a few schools, I often see plebs jumping the lights even with a lollipop lady, it's those riders I wish harm, the roads would be a better place without them.
I just believe most people can differentiate between between the actions of an individual and those of a group
That's not my experience.
I think it's a personal choice, I used to do it, now I don't.
There are many occasions when driving into work that I could ignore a red, but I don't as anyone can make a mistake and get it wrong.
It's easier to get a bad reputation than foster a good one, how many times have you heard the non-cyclist say things like 'all cyclists jump red lights, I saw [u]ONE[/u] the other day go straight through'
I think bad behaviour encourages others to do the same, why not start setting an example? If one group stands out it makes the others look bad/good (like us RLJ'ing gives motorists the moral high ground).
The upside of stopping at reds is that it's like interval training and makes you stronger 😆
Ideally I'd like an ideal world, not gonna happen though!
Find some of the posts here staggering. Yip, i'm such a good experienced driver i'm also able to decide which lights i think are safe to jump. 🙄
I pointed out that he'd done the same a couple of minutes earlier but he just couldn't get it.
see hypocritical cyclists a few times of the week in London - happy to jump red lights, ride on the pavement, generally ride like twits.. but the minute someone else wrongs them (cyclists, peds, taxis etc) they are all 'f'in and blinding and 'i have that on camera etc etc...
see one comedy guy on a tourer a few times.. followed him towards victoria from waterloo... at each red light he would do a moving dismount and then run through the junction and then hop back on... very funny to watch...