Safe Speed Forums

Liebchen - last time I was in London ( about a month ago ) - saw lots of cyclists on pavements. Saw far too many jump red lights. Can back this with video evidence too

I know you probably exception to that rule - but me und Mad Doc were seriously worried by our observation of what appeared "norm" at the time. We not on CM night. We learn from past after all. But for all they say they want the roads.. they still use footpaths even if road empty.

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That will be me then, since I ride in to london typically 3-4 days a week. done that for the last 6 years

I ride along the south circular and into the city over london bridge.

Only a minority of cyclists actually stop and wait while the lights are red. Some don't even slow down. some proceed to the end of the lane and some go as soon as the crossing traffic has stopped. It really is only 10% or so complying with the rules. Same applies to motorbikes who stay out of cycle bays.

So I'm speaking with first hand experience

you'll note that the car in the foreground is pointing in the same direction, so it's either a very wide road or a one way road. The highway code example shows a 2 way road.

my route takes me along Peckham road, past oval. At oval there's often 20 or 30 bikes stopped at the lights with only the odd stray sneaking around the corner. From there on into Waterloo via Vauxhall at any lights the majority are stopping. Yes, there are those who insist on trying to kill themselves and those that want to play slalom with pedestrians on embankment, I'm not denying that at all, but most are definitely riding where they should and stopping. Whenever you feel like a detour, let me know.

As for the motorbikes: no doubt one for a different thread but I think it's about time they were officially allowed into the bus lanes (and no, I don't ride a motorbike).

Like I already said, the level of RLJing would depend on the route.

perhaps I should have mentioned that that just happens to be my most common route. I also ride home via Brixton or Clapham, as well as regular rides to and from Gatwick via Croydon. So is the behaviour in the North, West and East really vastly different to the South or does everyone really just take a sample of 4 and extrapolate that to the entire population?
Imagine what people must think of the English based on the behaviour seen in some town centres at 11pm on a Friday night.

[quote="johnsher]As for the motorbikes: no doubt one for a different thread but I think it's about time they were officially allowed into the bus lanes (and no, I don't ride a motorbike).[/quote]

Totally agree with you johnsher. In Reading m/cycles are allowed to use the bus lanes.

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I will always jump pointless lights on my bike, ones I'd love to jump in my car if I didn't have a number plate to be identified by. These are mainly pedestrian only lights which I will jump once pedestrians have crossed or there are no pedestrians there. I also often jump the small junctions where lights go red regardless if there is actually any traffic on the other roads - Why? Not because I want to kill myself, but because it's safe to go and I feel like im wasting time sitting there on the bike. If I can avoid stopping at pedestrian lights (and therefore conserving energy, much like you would in a car) then I will do.

I will always stop at busy junctions though... I think a majority of cyclists cycle in the same way

I actually don't have a problem with cyclist jumping reds. If they do it slowly and safely. You could argue that given their location they wouldn't conflict with traffic coming from the right anyway. In London there seems to be a fashion for not having sensors. So you sit there while it cycles round from road to road with a pedestrian cycle at each change waiting 3 or 4 minutes with nobody using the road.

I think this is a major cause of red light jumpers. Nobody wants to wait 5 mins at every red light.

I have one where the road is blocked off to all but bicycles and still we have a light cycle.

Personally I think a 3rd of lights could be replaced with roundabouts. I'd also like to seem them switch to amber 'go on caution' like in france, for off peak times.

I suspect this new system is to pay for the Olympics.

On my way home last night I made a mental note of compliant cycle stops and lanes and only saw 4 that definitely complied. thats out of may be 20-30 in total. One had a cycle logo smaller than an A3 sheet of paper.

Wow, though of this thread earlier- as a plod car that pulled out of an adjacent right turn and around some roadworks, into my path & over the white line, leaving me no option but to steer into the solid-line cycle lane or smash straight into him.

So, legally speaking, from now on I should just try to emergency stop and probably have the smash right? It's okay, I've got a big F* off SUV with bullbars an all, but I would like confirmation this is now the correct action to take...





I know that road. It's 2 mins from where I've lived for the last 5 years, and that pics the first time I've ever seen a cyclist stopped there, usually they're either jumping the light, blocking the crossing or driving the wrong way at you.

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Agree, Agree and Agree. Correct on all 3 points in my opinion.

I've been cycling to and from my new job in Shoreditch (live in Southfields, 10 mile commute each way) for the last 4 weeks now I can say with some certainty that there are an unfortunate amount of dangerous cyclists out there cycling each and every day, some jump every single red light, some don't anticipate the road ahead and some are just lane hogs (on bikes, at 10mph!) getting in the way of cars. I would also say that the amount of bad cyclists was excelled hugely by the amount of drivers (cars a bit, but mainly taxi drivers, van/lorry drivers and bus drivers - those who are paid to drive and therefore should be the best) who don't indicate, check their mirrors, stop sensible when coming out of a turning and generally think no one else on the road matters but themselves. I've taken to cycling with the expectation that no one is aware of anything around them at all and it's resulted in 4 weeks of getting to and from work without dying or being hit.

The anti-cyclist attitude did go a step too far last week when I went through a green light whilst cars were stopped in traffic, a pedestrian immediately hurled abuse at me for jumping red lights (his assumption fuelled without doubt by the anti-cycling media and groups) without looking up to see it was in fact him that was attemping to cross at the wrong time.