Are cyclists now allowed to run red lights?

[Mrs Magpie]

Thanks weeps, but I'm still no wiser.

 

[weepiper]

Thanks weeps, but I'm still no wiser.

one of these

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Ah gotcha, ta.

 

[Geri]

He was apologetic apparently. Other half got home on adrenalin but his hand looks bad. Very swollen thumb, bleeding knuckles and leg. Found a tyre mark on the dog but he's not hurt, in fact he's very chipper.

Apologetic is not enough. Did he offer his name and address?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Nope, and he didn't call the police either. Which he should have done. He just made sure my husband wasn't badly injured, although he could see he was injured, apologised and said he didn't see him and left. My husband said he only stuck around for a minute or two.

 

[Geri]

What a prick.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

It was actually one of the street traders, Carlton, who was the most help and ran over to help my husband and reunite him with the Guide dog, who stayed close. I'm glad we live where we do and know so many locals, I found that the most reassuring thing.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

very sorry to hear about your other half Mrs M, hopefully this might mean some of the misguided idiots who've proudly posted about jumping red lights might start taking a bit more responsibility towards other road users in future (although I doubt it sadly). hope he has a speedy recovery and isn't too shaken up.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

He's not shaken up he's OK and was mostly concerned about the dog at the time to be honest. His knee seems to be the worst injury, he's hobbling and it's gone very stiff and sore. That junction is really a bugger for people jumping lights. Cars tend to jump them just after they've gone red but cyclists just jump them all the time (not all cyclists but a very high proportion) and I've had plenty of near misses with cyclists there when it's the pedestrian right of way at that crossroads.. Me and the family cross there all the time, we have to.

 

[T & P]

A cyclist colleague of mine was knocked down last week by another cyclist after the latter jumped a red light and apparently didn't even bother to check for cross traffic. He was apologetic, but still

 

[Mrs Magpie]

His knee is not too bad this morning but his hand is causing him a lot of pain. This has made me even more hostile towards the cyclists who jump that set of lights when it's the pedestrian right of way. It's become personal

 

[Pickman's model]

This really annoys me. I'm a bit of a goody two shoes on my bike - always stop at reds, always indicate etc. but cyclists get tarred with the "irresponsible, jump red lights, go on the pavement brush". Meanwhile everyady I observe motor vehicles jumping reds, turning right on "no right turn" junctions, failing to indicate, sitting in the middle of the yellow box and a whole heap of other things. One junction I regularly cross as a pedestrian has a very obvious no right turn signal and every time I cross it several vehicles (usually at least one HGV) will ignore it.

Why should I put up with abuse about things I do not do when every time I'm out and about as a pedestrian and cyclist (I do both equally, one does not preclude the other and equally does not preclude being a motorist) I see other motorists ignoring the rules. I try to make sure my cycling is not influenced by the bad habits of motorists.

(ok rant over)

when was the last time you saw a car duck onto the pavement for a momentary advantage, though?

 

[Pickman's model]

His knee is not too bad this morning but his hand is causing him a lot of pain. This has made me even more hostile towards the cyclists who jump that set of lights when it's the pedestrian right of way. It's become personal

he should obtain a knobkerrie

it will act both as a walking stick and a weapon to dismount cyclists

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

when was the last time you saw a car duck onto the pavement for a momentary advantage, though?

that's one of the more abstruse lines of argument that i think i've ever seen you make.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

When the Guide dog retires in January we shall get one of these...

Goodbye soppy Labrador, hello Hellhound....

 

[Orang Utan]

sorry to hear about your hubby, mrs m. hope he mends quickly. there's a lot of div cyclists in brixton doing spectacularly foolhardy things.

 

[Pickman's model]

that's one of the more abstruse lines of argument that i think i've ever seen you make.

you've said you observe all manner of bad behaviour from drivers, but they don't nip onto the pavement to get 20 yards down the road. unlike cyclists. and unlike cyclists i know if i get hit by a car the driver's likely to be insured. and to have at least minimal road skills by virtue of having had driving lessons and passed the test.

 

[Pickman's model]

When the Guide dog retires in January we shall get one of these...

Goodbye soppy Labrador, hello Hellhound....

not one of these?

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

you've said you observe all manner of bad behaviour from drivers, but they don't nip onto the pavement to get 20 yards down the road. unlike cyclists. and unlike cyclists i know if i get hit by a car the driver's likely to be insured. and to have at least minimal road skills by virtue of having had driving lessons and passed the test.

1) i didn't make the post you originally quoted, Spark did, 2) Spark's post said that as a ped and cyclist, s/he was annoyed that the often observed bad/dangerous driving seemed to attract less opprobrium than bad cycling, as well as all cyclists are tarred with the same brush because of the irresponsibility of some dangerous cyclists.

but you carry on with your abstract ranting, i'm sure it keeps you warm and well.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

In my longish life I have been nearly hit by a lorry once, nearly hit by a car twice but I get nearly hit by a cyclist at that crossroads about two or three times a week. About 70% of cyclists at that junction jump the lights. I am much more wary about cyclists at that spot. I can't hear them and they are usually travelling much faster than I am.
On the whole I am broadly pro-cycle and broadly anti-car although my sight isn't good enough to drive either but when cyclists jump red lights or are weaving down pavements I am an implacable foe.

 

[Pickman's model]

1) i didn't make the post you originally quoted, Spark did, 2) Spark's post said that as a ped and cyclist, s/he was annoyed that the often observed bad/dangerous driving seemed to attract less opprobrium than bad cycling, as well as all cyclists are tarred with the same brush because of the irresponsibility of some dangerous cyclists.

but you carry on with your abstract ranting, i'm sure it keeps you warm and well.

so you're denying you've said you've seen poor behaviour from drivers.

 

[fredfelt]

you've said you observe all manner of bad behaviour from drivers, but they don't nip onto the pavement to get 20 yards down the road. unlike cyclists. and unlike cyclists i know if i get hit by a car the driver's likely to be insured. and to have at least minimal road skills by virtue of having had driving lessons and passed the test.

No, drivers routinely nip on the pavement and then leave their bloody car there!

 

[Orang Utan]

Divs drive and divs ride. Blame them not the vehicle they use.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

....and I've also seen some breathtakingly risky behaviour from pedestrians, but I am not one of their number. Doesn't prevent me from having numerous near-misses from cyclists at the CHL/Atlantic Rd crossroads though.

 

[Orang Utan]

aye, don't people look anymore?

 

[gentlegreen]

I don't know how we change the culture. I wonder how many of the selfish idiots who cycle over crossings with pedestrians on got into cycling via BMX and never had any road training. ?
I suppose clueless behaviour on the part of both cyclists and pedestrians is more likely in a city like London where public transport is so good ?

 

[Orang Utan]

what? how did you make that leap of logic?

 

[gentlegreen]

I feel certain I would be up for assault very quickly if I lived in London.

 

[Orang Utan]

or you'd be assaulted!

 

[fredfelt]

Divs drive and divs ride. Blame them not the vehicle they use.

Many Londoners blame TFL. There seems to be quite a lot of internet noise on this. Especially as around 16 cyclists have been killed by lorries in London this year. TFL priority is always traffic flow (that means maximun number of vehicles) at the expense of provision for pedestrians and cyclists. Bad road design is often the cause for conflict.

Forthcoming protest against TFL http://ibikelondon.blogspot.com/2011/12/kings-cross-christmas-vigil-16-deaths.html
Another blog moaning about TFL and their apparent disdain of pedestrians through design http://waronthemotorist.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/londons-next-big-blackspot/