Confessions of an RLJer

graeme_s-2

Forgive me my commuting brothers and sisters, for I have sinned .

While cycling in this morning, late for work, in the rain (can you hear the violin?) I approached a busy traffic light controlled crossroads between two major roads. I sped up, as I knew the lights would be changing soon, saw them change to amber, and sped up more (I have amber gambled here before).

But I totally screwed it up, and instead of braking and waiting I continued to accelerate and shot through the junction a good few seconds after the lights had changed to red. I heard a car behind me honk their horn, and luckily for me nobody coming the other way pulled away early.

It was one of those times where you make a split second decision and then spend the next 10 minutes wondering how you could have been so stupid!

I've learned my lesson, I promise. Being t-boned by a lorry would make me later for work than waiting a couple of minutes for the lights to change again

BUICK

I think that this is a situation many of us have been in - you've worked up a good pace in harsh conditions, your slightly oxygen-starved brain is saying 'GO GO GO!' so you go... luckily it ended okay. I was once about to set off through a green light when something caught my eye - looked right and a white van (really) was hurtling through the t-junction against the red. I stayed where I was and watched it careen through where I would have been and straight into the back of the stopped traffic sat there (it was rush hour). I would have been squashed like a bug if I'd just 'obeyed' the lights. Think what I'm getting at is that sometimes your sharpened senses are more important than the road signs or lights - but that's not an excuse to RLJ habitually!

girv73

You bring shame on us all

I think some form of punishment is in order. Perhaps commuting for the next week on a Lidl full-sus MTB ? In jeans?

Wrath Rob

Nah, that's got too many gears for a true punishment. Make it a cheap folder with a 3 gear hub and add a Sam Browne belt to it and you're at a suitable punishment for the crime.

always_tyred

No, you must commute on one of these:


But for God's sake be careful.

girv73

No way, that's so retro it's cool. We wish to heap shame upon the infringer, not kudos!

A Raleigh Activator perhaps ?

Andy65

Hi Graeme,

As they say, we live and learn, at least you realise you've made a mistake and have learnt from it. I live in Cov too and I see more and more motorist blatantly going through on red. On my way to work last week I was travelling along the Longford road and came to the set of lights by the Richo arena. I was in the left hand lane for going straight on, the right hand lane is only for buses and taxis turning right to go the the arena complex when a white ford escort van comes along in the right hand lane indicating right but then carries straight on through red and then moves back over carrying on straight ahead. I'm not sure if he was totally oblivious to the fact that he had just gone through on red or just didn't give a sh1t.

Regards

Andy

P.S. as they say on Hillstreet Blues "Be careful out there"