Do you jump red lights…?

I don’t and agree with this post.
Interested to hear what people do.
http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2012/08/05/why-its-not-ok-for-cyclists-to-run-red-lights/

I treat jumping red lights like the “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” observation.

This thread is useless without CFH and TJ.

There are no traffic lights on my commute, which might generate a similarly philosophical point. If you are prevented from doing wrong does that make you a good person?

Nope. I enjoy relaxing.

I’m never going anywhere in such a hurry that I have to.

no, I treat them as a breather

If it’s safe to do so, e.g. LH turn or empty Pelican Crossing, then yes.

Very rarely, if I do its probably late at night with not much traffic around.

No, same as when i’m in a car I don’t jump them.

Its a problem I don’t encounter as I ride everywhere on the pavement! 😀

I set off before they go green, but when other at the junction have turned red. So I would only jump if I know the light sequence very well

Ive never jumped a red light, have you seen how high up they are? If you do then you should be trying out for Team GB, not going to a desk job…

It is important to cyclists that we get the full respect of drivers as fellow road users, with just as much right to be riding down the street as they have. The biggest danger facing cyclists is when drivers get annoyed if we slow them down, or drive as though we’re simply not there. Developing a relationship of mutual respect between drivers and cyclists is the most important thing we can do to improve cyclists’ safety, and to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on the streets. And cyclists will find it much harder to earn that respect if they visibly flout the law every time they reach a red light.

This kind of argument always sounds like a small child terrified of his father because he keeps hitting him. The kid tries really hard not to antagonise his father but his father hits him anyway, even for stuff his brother did. His brother gets hit as well but doesn’t seem to care and does bad stuff anyway.

What the poor terrified child doesn’t realise is that he is a red headed step child and his father is always going to hate him no matter what. His brother realised this a while ago so just does whatever he wants, he’s going to get hit anyway.

And cyclists will find it much harder to earn that respect if they visibly flout the law every time they reach a red light.

Do you think there is actually anyone who does this? I don’t think they would live long!

I tend to filter left when there’s nowt about but then again I do ride around a small town and not a large city.

Stopping at traffic lights messes up my averages and can mean do or die when I comes to strava… 😉

Not on the bike but I do when I’m driving as I see lots of people on bikes do it so it must be okay.

Do you think there is actually anyone who does this? I don’t think they would live long!

Encountered a guy this morning who jumped 4 consecutive sets of lights…. to be fair, I think it was a much to do with being completely unable to get in/out of his pedals as it was about just ‘being the fastest’……

What about pedestrians? Anything other than crossing on the green man or zebras only is asking for trouble, surely. They should have insurance…

Never. Why piss off drivers any more just to cut a few seconds from my journey? I’m a road user, not a warrior.

Yes on a bike and yes in a car at 4:30am when I’m the only person awake!
I’m a terrible person and I’m going to hell.

Mind you, I recently stayed right on the south circular in London, and that was never quiet. I’d not be doing it there!

Only the ones at the crossroads next to my house that have a sensor to detect waiting vehicles. The sensor obviously doesn’t think a bike is a vehicle, as it never changes unless there is a car in front of me.

I think he’s right.
IMO if we want the situation on the roads to change we need to get away from the “them and us” thing that currently persists. Flouting the rules that everybody else sticks to only reinforces it- makes it easier for people sat in their cars to think “they’re not playing the game like we are, so why should I give a monkeys about them?”

You might argue that it doesn’t matter what these people think, sat in their metal boxes clogging up the roads, so why should you pander to them by sticking to apparently pointless rules when you could just as easily not, with nobody getting hurt or losing out.

I suppose it comes down to what’s been covered on the CM thread- whether you think alienating people by showing you don’t give a toss (and anyway you’re so much cleverer and free-spirited than them) is a good way to positively influence their behaviour and bring them on-side or not.

Only time I’ve ever jumped a red is at automatic lights where they can’t detect a bike.

I even stop at a set on my commute on a very quiet road (boat ramp one side, pub car park the other), which has an uncontrolled bridleway crossing the road right next to them!

Mainly I do this because I do think it is important for us to be seen to obey they highway code. It gives the anti-cyclist brigade one less stick to beat us with (and means I can stay seated on my high horse).

The other week I was stopped at them when two old boys (i.e. late 60s) on equally creaky tourers came past me and went straight through on red with barely a glance.

As they went through one of them looked guiltily back at me and cheerfully called out “I admire your respect for the law young man” 😀

yes in a car at 4:30am when I’m the only person awake!

At a notorious crossroads round here somebody thought similar and found they were wrong…

Only the ones at the crossroads next to my house that have a sensor to detect waiting vehicles. The sensor obviously doesn’t think a bike is a vehicle, as it never changes unless there is a car in front of me.

We have a few of these where all lanes are red until a car comes along during night time hours.

If I am out at these times I can either wait for a car to come along and activate the lights to green or go through on the red.

I did wait once to see how long it would take for a car to arrive but gave up after 20 minutes and went through.

No traffic lights on my commute, and none on my regular road ride routes except those that involve junctions with busy major A roads.

Must be a townie thing……

Only the ones at the crossroads next to my house that have a sensor to detect waiting vehicles. The sensor obviously doesn’t think a bike is a vehicle, as it never changes unless there is a car in front of me.

This is the ony time I will go through and treat it as a give way. Happens a lot in my town, but I wait for a bit to see if any vehicles are approaching from behind me, and if they are, I wil wait for them to activate the sensors.

Had some guy on a Road Bike come straight through a Red last night and I could have easily T Boned him if I was’nt paying attention.

Incidentally, the point should be made that I see motorists jump the lights every single day.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing a “slightly red” or “just turned red”.

Amber means “stop (unless you are so close that you can’t do so safely)”, it doesn’t mean “floor it before it turns red”.

An “ambler gambler” is breaking exactly the same law as someone cruising through a red.

Like others I’ll “jump” red lights when they don’t detect bikes – though I’d argue that in such a case I’m not breaking the law as the lights are faulty. A common problem for me as the ones which are at the only access point to where I live keep getting readjusted so they don’t detect bikes – I think I’ve contacted the council about 10 times now to get them fixed. I do know the phases on these lights and will only go when my phase hasn’t got its turn and one of the other side turn phases is green, giving way to any traffic which has a green light (not a big problem, as the lights have too many phases anyway).

I also jump roadworks lights if it’s possible to ride through the cones and so not obstruct the traffic which has a green light – so not breaking the spirit of the law.

Incidentally, the point should be made that I see motorists jump the lights every single day.

Indeed – as I’ve commented to people, I see far more cars jumping red lights than I do bikes.

No wouldn’t do it in a car so why should it be okay to on a bike.

This is the ony time I will go through and treat it as a give way. Happens a lot in my town, but I wait for a bit to see if any vehicles are approaching from behind me, and if they are, I wil wait for them to activate the sensors.

Same here. I’ve found that some cars won’t get close enough to activate the sensors (are they in the road?). I then have to more beyond the stop line and gesture for the car to move up otherwise we’ll all be sat there on red for evermore.

So, in summary, as the red lights have been implemented in a way which ignores my presence on the road the only option is to ignore them. When I say “ignore” I mean proceed with cation obviously.

It’s not as if Car drivers are perfect, every day, riding to work, I see drivers jump lights, speed, chat on the phone, block cycle lanes, park illegally.

I’ve found that some cars won’t get close enough to activate the sensors (are they in the road?)

AFAIK some automatic lights use induction coils in the road – so you might be okay on a proper steel bike 😉 – others rely on optical sensors spotting something vehicle shaped – so you might be okay if you are as fat as a car!

flippinheckler – Member
No wouldn’t do it in a car so why should it be okay to on a bike.

I wouldn’t go down a bus lane in my car, but regularly do on my bike. And I go through the red light that controls the bus lane.

It’s not as if Car drivers are perfect, every day, riding to work, I see drivers jump lights, speed, chat on the phone, block cycle lanes, park illegally.

So what? Are they setting some sort of bar for how you think you should behave?

So what?

So it is a very hypocritical stick that they beat us with.

But that’s okay.

Cos they pay road tax… 😉

Just strikes me as an “some people are eejits* so it’s OK for me to be an eejit too” argument.

*Even though most people aren’t.

So it is a very hypocritical stick that the beat us with.

Nah, we all know those people are …bankers.