I can just about manage the thought of going through a red light at 7am on a Sunday morning in the middle of nowhere but at 10am in the morning on busy roads..no way…

I was driving through Salford quays this morning and sat at some traffic lights at the end near the world trade centre, looked in my mirror a roadie coming up on the right hand lane, straight through didn’t even slow down to look anywhere, he was obviously a serious rider, full team kit , nice bike and a bloody bright rear light.

Then round the corner onto dual carriageway and another set of lights, 3 cars in left lane 4 in right lane all waiting to go straight on, cyclist just pedals up the right turn lane straight through the red lights in front of all the waiting cars…I cringed at what all the other drivers were thinking…

So if it was you, you should hang your head in shame and ask yourself why us cyclists get a bad press about bad riding etc…

Rant over….and breathe…

Don’t be daft none of it matters!

I always carry an orangutan for such occasions.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHeRaAy3cWQ[/video]

Red light jumpers are a-holes.

ask yourself why us cyclists get a bad press about bad riding etc…

yawn.

I was riding to work this morning when a motorist came screaming up behind me, passed me with inches to spare and then cut me up to turn left. Didn’t even look in his mirrors.

He was driving a nice car so he must have been a serious motorist.

So if it was you, hang your head in shame and ask yourself why all motorists get a bad press about bad driving etc…

Er, hang on….

I must admit when i ride through a red light during rush hour, I really couldn’t give a monkeys what you think of me, happy raging!

cylists don’t pay road tax or have insurance either do you know?

And none of them have got lights.

LOL at the “cyclists can do no wrong”…”we’re all on the same side” brigade.

Really not worth arguing with you lot 🙄

Really not worth arguing with you lot

Finally. 😀

My life’s work…..was not done because it was worthwhile, but for the honour…and I will continue!

No you won’t.

bad riders know they are annoying motorists and breaking laws, the only people asking “why us cyclists get a bad press about bad riding” are those who ride legally (i would say safely but i’m not convinced that they aren’t the victims of accidents more often due to cautious cycling..)

i.e. that argument isn’t going to work with anyone.

Most motorists are habitual law-breakers. I’m afraid that their complaints are nothing but steaming hypocrisy.

ransos – Member

Most motorists are habitual law-breakers. I’m afraid that their complaints are nothing but steaming hypocrisy.

Indeed. Speeding, dangerous parking, passing to close etc etc

thousands of innocent folk die every year as a result. If anything else wascausing this carnage thenthe public outcry would be immense.

4 times as many folk get killed by cars as get murdered.

Hey don’t get me wrong I’m the first to scream at bad driving by the motorist, there really are some nutters out there but this guy didn’t even do the sneek through the light along the kerb, it was the way he just pedaled down the right hand side of a line of traffic through a red and then had to go back across two lanes to get back to kerb side

He wanted to be seen cos he had a very bright rear light on in daylight, obviously so when he gets side swiped by a motorist coming through a green light from his right he could argue…”Why didn’t you see me”

How does this argument turn into “how bad are drivers?” I just don’t see any point in not sticking to the rules and riding responsibly.

“They break rules so it’s OK for us to” – hasn’t that been used to justify looting, theft, murder?

I’m a cyclist. I am also a driver. But most importantly I’m a non-tribal road user.

Engage your brains, please!

I just don’t see any point in not sticking to the rules and riding responsibly.

Yes, but I suspect that you also drive responsibly.

Of course steaming through lights is wrong: I see motorists and cyclists do it every day.

I just don’t see any point in not sticking to the rules and riding responsibly.

Sometimes the two are mutually exclusive. sometimes obeying the road laws increase your danger. Sometimes there is no legal way to proceed due to rubbish road design.

Killfile off? I am flattered!

TandemJeremy – Member
Sometimes the two are mutually exclusive. sometimes obeying the road laws increase your danger. Sometimes there is no legal way to proceed due to rubbish road design.

In a tiny and irrelevant minority of cases, breaking the rules may increase your safety, mostly by a marginal amount.

Probably not worth arguing this TJ, I don’t feel too threatened on teh roads by the majority of traffic, I think you take a much more defensive stance…..tens of thousands of urban miles later we are both alive!

It’s funny. This seems to only be something I’ve experienced in the UK. Here (Spain and France) cyclists habitually jump red lights… they dont’ get “bad press” or anger motorists. Instead motorists treat cyclists with respect and courtesy and on the rare occasion they a car does cut you up they appologise or are often chastised by other motorists.

Here the roadie is king.

It’s the same on the mountains. Like today when we scared a walker on the singletrack because he was wearing headphones and although we slowed down to a crawl he got a fright as we sneaked past. He caught us up and appologised for getting in the way and said he really shouldn’t wear his headphones on the mountains.

Even the mountain biker is king!

There is a very wrong and sad attitude in the UK. I think it stems from the fact that the majority of people haven’t cycled since they were kids whereas here lots and lots of people ride bikes.

I can just about manage the thought of going through a red light at 7am on a Sunday morning in the middle of nowhere

you jump red lights? HYPOCRITE!

There is a very wrong and sad attitude in the UK. I think it stems from the fact that the majority of people haven’t cycled since they were kids whereas here lots and lots of people ride bikes.

very true

Sounds awesome where you are. Except for all the foreigners of course.

manage the “thought” of going through a red light didn’t say i did it, though i can see the argument of sneeking through at 7am in the middle of nowhere when your sat at those lights which won’t change till something heavy hits the sensors, you could be sat there for an hour…..