London cycling commuters, are you breaking da law? ;-)

TJ – i might have to get you up there with me to show me what you mean – can’t picture the problem. It seems fine to me when using it. Both from Middle Meadow Walk and the road entries.

Looking back over the majority of replies to my question most of us would do the same as me. Of course some wouldn’t and that’s fair play. Most of us London bike commuters do mini risk assessment in our heads all the way through the ride, at junctions, at crossings, in traffic… It’s the way we all survive and live to argue on stw forums! 🙂 I know a commute in London on a bike can get the adrenaline pumping as much as say the downhill at inners, gets the olde ticker going and I really quite enjoy it.

In a hill street blues stylee, stay safe out there boys and girls!

I totally agree with ti_pin.
*un-subscribes from this thread as my RSS reader is full of it!

ti_pin_man – Member
London commuters, what’s your general thoughts on cyclists being given tickets by the law… For offences such as Cycling on pavements, running red lights and things like that?

No fun, no fun, no fun…

i commute to work in london every day and I ride like a complete bastard!

I love you…. 😳

if any one cuts me up or pulls out in front of me i kick their wing mirror off then do one down a side road!

Ah, the number of times I’ve done this. At one stage I contemplated getting little wing mirror stickers to indicate ‘kills’, but then decided I’d soon have no space left on my frame…

If anything, riding in central London has improved quite a bit, as drivers have become more aware of the growing numbers of bikes out on the streets. It’s good. The police just need to clamp down heavier on those who hinder or injure cyclists with their dangerous and selfish behaviour, not waste time dishing out tickets to RLJs.

I RLJ all the time. But over here (Vancouver), it’s actually legal and both cars, bikes, trucks and buses do it. In fact, all over North America it’s legal (except at specified junctions)

The vast majority of junctions in the USA are wide open with unrestricted views all round. When they aren’t, there’s a sign saying ‘no turn on red’. In the UK a great many junctions are too tight, unsighted or otherwise unsuitable for this. When they are, you get a right filter light or a filter lane, to achieve the same result.

And we have roundabouts instead of many stop lights in the USA where you can go if nothing’s coming. And on even smaller roads, almost all junctions are give ways aka ‘yields’ not stop signs.

Upshot is similar.

I have a 10 minute commute in London with about 15 sets of lights and it’s really infuriating that so many people jump the red lights. The vast majority of people doing it on my commute seam to be doing it to save time not for any other reason, IMO at all of the junctions I have seen it’s far safer to stop at the red light than not. I also don’t get the get in front of traffic argument either as in every case the person jumping the light slows down the whole queue of traffic whilst the traffic passes them again only to have to repeat the process at every light. Maybe this argument would have some weight if the average commuter was fast enough to actually stay in front of the traffic but I have yet to see that. On my commute I loose more time having to pass dawdling cyclists holding up the traffic after RLJing than waiting at the lights themselves and it really irritates me so I can’t imagine how annoyed car drivers get with the average commuter.

Also why are fixies cool to commute on? I can’t imagine that most of the people riding them wouldn’t find wearing a skinsuit, shaving your legs, seeing how much lactic acid you can build up in your legs and other things associated with track cycling cool?

Iain

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Saw three RLJs pulled over by Police at Ludgate Hill, pedestrains and cyclists cheering.

So while students kick ass over a Millbank, Police knick RLJs, they’ve got there priorities spot on.

@ Iain Gillam

I also don’t get the get in front of traffic argument either as in every case the person jumping the light slows down the whole queue of traffic whilst the traffic passes them again only to have to repeat the process at every light.

I wonder where you cycle? In my part of London (travelling between Euston and Paddington), the person at the front of the queue (me) is as quick as the other traffic, at least over a short burst, i.e. to the next lights. Like you I don’t run through red lights, but I always go well over the white line so that I don’t get wiped out by the left-turning observationally-challenged drivers (nearly got hit again today).

Basically, unless I’m knackered and/or into a headwind, I avoid the bus/cycle lane and ride with the cars. Best way to keep alive is to flow with the traffic rather than dawdle in the gutter

I went though some red lights and mounted the pavement in the car this morning, just to even things out a bit.

nickf: I go between Fulham and South Ken, most of the lights are close enough that I can manage to get to the lights before the cars and scooters. Motorbikes are a bit more of a struggle, if they have fairly good reaction times then they can get me. However, I haven’t seen anyone on the commute getting close to 20mph (the average I’d say would be closer to 10mph) and the cars could easily do that between most of the sets of lights if they didn’t have to dodge the cyclists.

Iain

I never jump red lights, always stop at zebra crossings and don’t ride on pavements (even with the kids), and I take a personal delight in berating those cyclists that run into the back of me thinking I’ll keep on going at the slightest hint of a lantern rouge. Want to be treated like a road user? Act like one. My commuter bike has a bell, lights and reflectors front and rear, but I confess that the pedals are reflectorless, but the overshoes are not. I don’t wear luminous clothing either.