No Wonder Cyclist have a bad name

The Northern Monkey

v23 wrote:

I commute to work by car, 22 miles each way. Quite often I go quite early, say 4 or 5 in the morning. At these times I quite often go through red lights, especially at temporary road works.

Your a bit of an idiot then.

v23

bigbenj_08 wrote:

v23 wrote:

I commute to work by car, 22 miles each way. Quite often I go quite early, say 4 or 5 in the morning. At these times I quite often go through red lights, especially at temporary road works.

Your a bit of an idiot then.

I think you find it's, "You're a bit of an idiot then".

antfly

Touche!
Ho do you do accents on a keyboard?

junglist_matty

I do have to admit though, in general people do like to be all prim and propper on forums, for example, I'm a member of a car forum and most people on there slate others if they do stuff that isn't legal i.e. speeding, overtaking etc... Yet when I'm driving on the motorway at 70 on the inside lane it seems the whole world is overtaking me (bar the lorries). - I have in the past joined in and driven at 100mph on the motorway before so I don't feel the need to slate others just because they chose to drive at those speeds - that would make me a hypocrit and I hate nothing more than a hypocrit.

At traffic lights, if I decide to stop because I don't think its safe to jump the lights and another cyclist comes along and goes straight across - happens a lot of the time.

A lot of people are very different behind a computer screen - don't do this, don't do that, be a goody two shoes etc... It does piss me off a bit. I've jumped plenty of red lights, I've been commuting by bike for 10yrs, yet I've never crashed into a motorist or pedestrian once (touch wood). I'm not perfect and I doubt 99% of people who post about how bad jumping lights have done it themselves at some point.

carlosnashos

Schobiedoo wrote:

So what about motorbikes? Should they be allowed to jump red lights as well if there's no one around? What about cars? What about busses? Of course not everyone will say, so why should bikes be so special and be allowed to jump the lights? I know, perhaps it's just that we don't have license plates that makes it OK...

If you want to use the road, obey the rules of the road. Simple. It's no surprise that cyclists have a bad reputation.

Let's be honest, the rules of the road are, let's say.....flexible! i.e. everyone speeds at some point (even the police), the traffic lights at the end of my road do not have a filter and at busy times at least 2 or 3 cars keep going after the light has turned to red.
And don't forget, pedestrians are road users too and should also follow the "rules of the road", which living in Edinburgh city - in my experience most of them do not wait for a green man before crossing if there's no cars coming even though they see a cyclist coming....so why....when it appears that every other road user is bending the rules, cyclists are berating each other for minor issues?
I sometimes run a red on my way to/from Uni or hop on a pavement to avoid the "it's home time, get out of my way driver!" if i'm sure that there is no risk to me or anyone else.

Another factor that people forget is that the rules of the road are relative to the user. For instance; HGV's over 7.5 tonnes have a lower speed limit than vehicles under that weight, and motorbikes under 50cc cannot use the motorway, etc.
The point that i'm trying to make here is that a cyclist and bike weighing 250lbs traveling at 10mph through the city is not a major threat on the road if he/she decides that they can safely nip through a red if there's no traffic or pedestrians coming - to keep up the momentum and give themselves a bit of distance from the car up their a$$...and if they do have to stop suddenly for whatever reason..i'm quite sure that they could do this well within a safe distance...or is this just me??

Rules are rules which is fair enough.....but the majority of the people on this planet were also blessed with a brain and an ounce of common sense to make their own decisions.
It doesn't matter what everyone else is doing, it matters what you are doing.

Queue abuse

(p.s. i'm not defending the 3 guys in the original post, just don't judge everyone by their actions.)

RichMTB

bike weighing 250lbs traveling at 10mph

A bit fat and slow!

fenboy369

Ride safely, thats what I try and do. Rules are followed by idiots and used as guidance by wisemen. If its safe to 'jump' a red, do it, if its not don't. If I can get through without making anybody else (car/bike/ped) take avoiding action or have to slow down I do. And if they try to catch me, well, in Cambridge on a bike is the fastest way around town. Proven by many puffed out PCSO's and Traffic cars sat at bollards.

passout

I like the idiot/wiseman thing - very Karate Kid!