RLJ traps is soft touch policing

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Comments

  • Roastie
    Roastie Posts: 1,968
    alfablue wrote:
    Well that just proves the reasonable approach doesn't work then :roll: :wink:
    :shock: I was wondering if I'd get away with that ... :oops:

    Anyhow, I guess I should explain:
    1st - Everyone has a first time
    2nd - Horribly lost and very late figured I'd take a chance
    3rd - Was following my missus. Poor excuse, but ... you know.
    David
    Engineered Bicycles
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Roastie wrote:
    alfablue wrote:
    Well that just proves the reasonable approach doesn't work then :roll: :wink:
    :shock: I was wondering if I'd get away with that ... :oops:

    Anyhow, I guess I should explain:
    1st - Everyone has a first time
    2nd - Horribly lost and very late figured I'd take a chance
    3rd - Was following my missus. Poor excuse, but ... you know.
    You are forgiven, you are really a victim of misfortune and the misapprehension that what your missus does is sound! :lol:
  • georgee
    georgee Posts: 537
    Pretty simple, make RLJ policing self funding and stick them on every corner till people learn.

    Then the majority who do RLJ will stop the rest of us looking like cvnts as well.
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    Rockbuddy wrote:
    Ok, but you are assuming that the police could give advice in those circumstances. They could certainly warn people of the dangers of RLJ but do they have many in the ranks that would know much else about cycling???
    They could have leaflets etc. They had enough warning. I think it would have been a good time to stop the spread of RLJing and help people starting off, all in one...

    I can dream, can't I?
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  • Rockbuddy
    Rockbuddy Posts: 243
    Deadeye Duck wrote:
    Rockbuddy wrote:
    Ok, but you are assuming that the police could give advice in those circumstances. They could certainly warn people of the dangers of RLJ but do they have many in the ranks that would know much else about cycling???
    They could have leaflets etc. They had enough warning. I think it would have been a good time to stop the spread of RLJing and help people starting off, all in one...

    I can dream, can't I?

    Leaflets? :lol: Are you taking the Michael now??? By the way I do kinda agree with you, would be nice to educate people (especially noobs) and get good habits in before bad develop etc. I think alot of people who RLJ have been doing it for a while though and are fully aware of their actions...
  • Rockbuddy
    Rockbuddy Posts: 243
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    Rockbuddy wrote:
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    lost_in_thought wrote:

    [pedant]
    RLJ traps Is Soft Touch Policing? Is they really?
    [/pedant]

    Secretly you must be lonely in life.... :roll:

    Yep, I cry myself to sleep most nights, me. Costs me a fortune to dry-clean my pillows.

    :lol: Buy some cheaper pillows :wink:

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  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    Rockbuddy wrote:
    Deadeye Duck wrote:
    Rockbuddy wrote:
    Ok, but you are assuming that the police could give advice in those circumstances. They could certainly warn people of the dangers of RLJ but do they have many in the ranks that would know much else about cycling???
    They could have leaflets etc. They had enough warning. I think it would have been a good time to stop the spread of RLJing and help people starting off, all in one...

    I can dream, can't I?

    Leaflets? :lol: Are you taking the Michael now??? By the way I do kinda agree with you, would be nice to educate people (especially noobs) and get good habits in before bad develop etc. I think alot of people who RLJ have been doing it for a while though and are fully aware of their actions...

    I don't think any one or at least a vanisingly small number any how think it's legal to jump redlights, they know that one can normally get away with it.
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    I honestly do not see the issue here.

    Police are always doing targetted days like this..whether its checking people for knives, sitting in a van with a portable speed camera, or this...

    They always do these things when they think they will catch a lot of people out...it would almost be a waste of time if they didn't choose their timing to coincide with events which make the type of thing they are trying to tackle more likely....

    surely?

    No point resourcing as many uniforms as you can muster to check for credit card fraud at a cash bar.
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • ellieb
    ellieb Posts: 436
    If they catch an RLJer, they should explain to them how it's illegal etc, explain to them the possible consiquences (i.e. fine / injury)

    This might be appropiriate if any of these people didn't know what was wrong with RLJ-ing in the first place. I'm sorry, but why waste police resources by explaining to people what they already know. Fine 'em. Next time they will think twice. Even if they don't the police will have earned their keep.
  • Roastie
    Roastie Posts: 1,968
    edited June 2009
    Deadeye Duck wrote:
    I think it's harsh for the police to be there fining people knowing there'll be more cyclists because of the strikes. They should be there for safety reasons because of the increased number of cyclists because of the strikes.

    If they catch an RLJer, they should explain to them how it's illegal etc, explain to them the possible consiquences (i.e. fine / injury), then they should give them advice on how to best use ASLs, how to filter safely, road position.

    That kind of action would have the best effect I reckon. Being pulled by the cops on your first cycle commute will be enough to make you think twice. It's people who've been doing things for years then eventually get pulled and only get a caution, that will do it again.

    They should be there for the public, not for the profit.
    Poppy.

    They should just say:
    "You jumped a red light. It is illegal to jump red lights. The Highway Code applies equally to all road users. Do it again and you're nicked."

    End of story. No Mr Nice Guy required.
    David
    Engineered Bicycles
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    ellieb wrote:
    If they catch an RLJer, they should explain to them how it's illegal etc, explain to them the possible consiquences (i.e. fine / injury)

    This might be appropiriate if any of these people didn't know what was wrong with RLJ-ing in the first place. I'm sorry, but why waste police resources by explaining to people what they already know. Fine 'em. Next time they will think twice. Even if they don't the police will have earned their keep.

    nah, we won't think twice...we'll keep on truckin'.....
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    Oh well, I tried the nice approach.
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,395
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    I was disgusted to see the number of police officers outside Balham tube and Tooting Bec tube station.

    In both instances they were RLJ traps.

    Sure about that?

    Maybe they were they were there to ensure the safety of strikers after Porgy's virtual kicking.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • sebastiandangerfield
    sebastiandangerfield Posts: 98
    This is daft.

    People are making out the Police that were there on that day booking RLJs aren't there the rest of the time. What do they do? Put them in tupperware boxes and bring them out for special operations! They were the Police officers who work every day, that day you just happened to see them in one place all together. When you got burgled, robbed, assaulted or had your bike stolen that you keep telling us about they were all still there, just spread over a vast area and unfortunately that area wasn't where you were a victim.

    Secondly, this thread could easily be "Two fatalities on a notorious junction, Police knew there'd be more cyclists because of the tube strike but didn't put any more officers on in that area!"

    The fact is they reacted to what they knew was a day when lots would commute by bike, they put more officers into a specific area and those officers may have stopped a serious accident by just being there. If things happend in front of the officers and they didn't react we'd all be slagging them off for doing nothing!

    Stop giving them shit!!
  • The Chingford Skinhead
    The Chingford Skinhead Posts: 718
    It would be useful to know all the facts but if the police were simply targeting cyclists and not the cars sat in the ASLs using mobiles or the cars sat in yellow hatch markings in the middle of a junction blocking the traffic then the action was clearly unfair.

    An increase in cycling should be encouraged so a campaign on these two days to "educate" cyclists would be fair enough and then use fines for the following days when you are actually going to catch the hardline repeat offenders rather than someone new.

    I'm still not on the bike yet but spent a fair few hours at the front and top of a double decker bus on both strike days. Saw a fair few bikes RLJ. Saw less but a significant number of cars amber gambling, lots of cars and buses deliberatly pass through amber lights and sit on hatch markings blocking all other traffic at cross roads just so their space was saved for when the lights changed next. But most of all I saw just about every ASL filled with cars or buses - inc the one that I was on and none according to the highway code definition - ie they all had the opportunity to stop in time to leave the ASL free.

    I'm all for the police enforcing the law, so long as it is done even handedly.
    Pain is only weakness leaving the body
  • simon_ramsey
    simon_ramsey Posts: 116
    Always wondered why the LCC or CTC haven't ever done much to highlight the dangers of RLJ'ing or had a campaign to discourage it ??
  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    simon_ramsey wrote:
    Always wondered why the LCC or CTC haven't ever done much to highlight the dangers of RLJ'ing or had a campaign to discourage it ??

    :lol:

    Because no one outside of london gives a stuff?

    Except when there's an accident.
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    tardington wrote:
    simon_ramsey wrote:
    Always wondered why the LCC or CTC haven't ever done much to highlight the dangers of RLJ'ing or had a campaign to discourage it ??

    :lol:

    Because no one outside of london gives a stuff?

    Except when there's an accident.

    it is a impatience thing, both RLJ and to be honest lights, i moved from SE wales to SE england the amount of traffic light controlled junctions/crossing or even just pinch points is massive even in the rural areas.
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    One simple way of not getting an FPN for red light jumping...

    Same as the one simple way there is of avoiding three points for speeding...

    At the same time I'll admit I'd prefer to see the police concentrate on what actually causes most deaths and injuries on our roads (and that's not cyclists RLJing) but until they allow cyclists to go through lights when they are red (and that ain't going to happen) you can't complain if you're brought up for it.
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