Red light jumping

Aidy

Thought I'd redress the balance a little

Saw a double decker bus really properly jump a red light this morning (A503, junction before Manor House, if anyone cares). As in, it was red and I was slowing down for it as the bus passed me and went through it.

Also, yesterday I saw a taxi driver move swiftly through a red light after I (walking) had moved past the part of the road he was on. He did seem apologetic when I mentioned this to him, though.

Headhuunter

It's not a reason in itself to RLJ, but I see motorists RLJ every morning on several junctions I pass through. Amber is the new green, and red the new amber this season. Seriously boys and girls, it ain't just cyclists!

Ian.B

Not RLJing - but the other day saw 4 police support officers on mopeds (or small motorbikes - whatever) at the bottom of London Bridge making an illegal right turn into Duke St/Tooley Street

il_principe

Ian.B wrote:

Not RLJing - but the other day saw 4 police support officers on mopeds (or small motorbikes - whatever) at the bottom of London Bridge making an illegal right turn into Duke St/Tooley Street

Numpties. The two I met this week were rather large women, slathered in Hi Viz and perched on tiny little silver scooters. It's almost as if someone is setting out to make them look completely ridiculous. Fair enough really.

[img][/img]http://www.ukemergency.co.uk/police/dscd0434.jpg

ride_whenever

oh good god....

DonDaddyD

Yesterday, by the junction in Balham by the Argos, I saw a cyclist break the red lights and rode straight into traffic that had just begun to move off. She had to stamp on the ground and roll her bike behind the lights.

If I was closer I would have shouted.

Headhuunter

I saw to Community Police people on silver mopeds and high viz waiting at the top of Tooley St waiting to turn onto London Bridge. Very annoying, I wasn't able to RLJ and had to get caught up in the scrum or motorbikes and mopeds etc as I accelerated away on green. Are they keeping an eye on that spot or something?

Oddjob62

Headhuunter wrote:

Amber is the new green, and red the new amber this season.

Or at the very least amber seems to mean "QUICK PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN IT'S GONNA CHANGE!!!!"

chuckcork

Oddjob62 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Amber is the new green, and red the new amber this season.

Or at the very least amber seems to mean "QUICK PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN IT'S GONNA CHANGE!!!!"

Green means go fast, amber means go faster...

DonDaddyD

Oddjob62 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Amber is the new green, and red the new amber this season.

Or at the very least amber seems to mean "QUICK PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN IT'S GONNA CHANGE!!!!"

To be fair I do that on my bike....

Headhuunter

chuckcork wrote:

Oddjob62 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Amber is the new green, and red the new amber this season.

Or at the very least amber seems to mean "QUICK PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN IT'S GONNA CHANGE!!!!"

Green means go fast, amber means go faster...

IME these days in London, amber means "just keep on driving", red means "Quick put your foot down" for motorists.

Agent57

Amber? Amber? Oh, you mean "extreme green."

jimjamyaharr

Wont the motorists get some sort of fine for RLJing?

mrc1

I had a bizarre incident going through Bank the other afternoon. The light changed from amber to red as I was about 15 meters away so I put the brakes on and stopped only to get a blast of car horn from a moron in a BMW estate. When the lights went green he leant on the horn again and swerved in front of me then started a full on argument. I tried to keep things lighthearted by laughing at his threat to knock me off my bike with his car (he looked as though he weighed about two stone less than an 8 year old boy and he took great offence when I pointed out to him that it would be a rather bad idea for him to "get out of [my] car and smack you").

I got bored and cycled on only to have him swerve into the cycle lane a bit further up Moorgate.

An absolute psychopath who seemed to be annoyed with me for not jumping a red light....

It does annoy me that otherwise decent people (he looked like an normal middle age family man in an estate car with a kids seat in the back) act like they are Mike Tyson when safely tucked up behind the wheel.

Headhuunter

jimjamyaharr wrote:

Wont the motorists get some sort of fine for RLJing?

Nah, the police prefer to stop cyclists. it's easier.

jimjamyaharr

Headhuunter
But surley the have traffic managmet camras, abit like gastos so its all computer processed.
no police work involved

Headhuunter

jimjamyaharr wrote:

Headhuunter
But surley the have traffic managmet camras, abit like gastos so its all computer processed.
no police work involved

OK, may be....

Porgy

mrcartledge wrote:

I had a bizarre incident going through Bank the other afternoon. The light changed from amber to red as I was about 15 meters away so I put the brakes on and stopped only to get a blast of car horn from a moron in a BMW estate. When the lights went green he leant on the horn again and swerved in front of me then started a full on argument. I tried to keep things lighthearted by laughing at his threat to knock me off my bike with his car (he looked as though he weighed about two stone less than an 8 year old boy and he took great offence when I pointed out to him that it would be a rather bad idea for him to "get out of [my] car and smack you").

I got bored and cycled on only to have him swerve into the cycle lane a bit further up Moorgate.

An absolute psychopath who seemed to be annoyed with me for not jumping a red light....

It does annoy me that otherwise decent people (he looked like an normal middle age family man in an estate car with a kids seat in the back) act like they are Mike Tyson when safely tucked up behind the wheel.

I stopped at a red light in Leyton 3 years ago and the car behind me screeched to a halt and just avoided hitting me - the light had been red for a while so he should have been prepared - the car behind rear ended him, and they both got out and had a massive row.

And to be fair to them, neither tried to blame me.


And more similar to your case, a bus driver last summer went bezerk when i stopped for a red light near baker street. Actually it was orange and had been orange for quite a while. My experience with this junction was that i knew if i tried to run the light on orange I wouldn;t make it, and the traffic at that junction takes no prisoners.

So the bus driver tries to keep going by swerving round me but by then the light IS red, and i refuse to budge so he's actually pushing me now with the side of his bus. I get off and walk up to his cab - he's realised now that he's going nowehere. He goes mental - you stopped at an orange light - well you're supposed to - read the highway code - besides it was milliseconds from going red and i'd have been squished.

The bloke contnued to harrass me all the way up that road till i got to turn off. I did put in a complaint though. and it was upheld. I got an apology from the boss. 8)

sebastiandangerfield

Nah, the police prefer to stop cyclists. it's easier.

Yawn.

It is ridiculous how many people RLJ in every type of vehicle. In rush hour traffic it make no difference at all in anything larger than a bike.

salsajake

I believe that the Highway Code has the following to say:

Red: Stop
Red and Amber: Stop
Amber: Stop
Green: Go

There isn't exactly much room for interpretation there! (That said, sometimes it is safer to squeeze through on amber than lock the brakes up on a wet road downhill with an HGV behind you)

Porgy

salsajake wrote:

I believe that the Highway Code has the following to say:

Red: Stop
Red and Amber: Stop
Amber: Stop
Green: Go

There isn't exactly much room for interpretation there! (That said, sometimes it is safer to squeeze through on amber than lock the brakes up on a wet road downhill with an HGV behind you)

Well yes it can be a judgement call but in this case I knew I wouldn;t get across the junction - it's one of those big central London squares with motorbikes, taxis, white vans and buses all ready to pull away at maximum acceleration. I'd have been toast - well flattened anyway.

I was only doing about 17/18 - and the buis since he'd been behind me since the previous junction - he couldn't have been doing more than 17/18 either. I knew he was tailgating me - but i was reckoning that he wasn;t a complete nutcase, and had seen the amber light which had been there for what seemed like ages.

Anyway - turns out he was a complete nutcase.

A no win situation really - but at least i lived to ride another day.

AndyManc

Aidy wrote:

Thought I'd redress the balance a little

Saw a double decker bus really properly jump a red light this morning (A503, junction before Manor House, if anyone cares). As in, it was red and I was slowing down for it as the bus passed me and went through it.

Also, yesterday I saw a taxi driver move swiftly through a red light after I (walking) had moved past the part of the road he was on. He did seem apologetic when I mentioned this to him, though.

Like this you mean :roll: ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw9am92iyKs


.

chrisonabike

Ian.B wrote:

saw 4 police support officers on mopeds (or small motorbikes - whatever) at the bottom of London Bridge making an illegal right turn into Duke St/Tooley Street

I saw a PCSO on a bicycle near there, in the dark, well past sunset with no lights. I pointed this out to him, and he told me he had a hi-viz jacket so he didn't need lights. I think I suggested he check the traffic laws.

Ian.B

Ian.B wrote:

Not RLJing - but the other day saw 4 police support officers on mopeds (or small motorbikes - whatever) at the bottom of London Bridge making an illegal right turn into Duke St/Tooley Street

Same junction, lunchtime today - a police car this time making the same illegal right hand turn!

DonDaddyD

Today I drove to work.

A unmarked police Car had been behind me for quite some time.... gonna need a new car, this keeps happening. We stop at a red light with the police car pulling up beside me.

I see a cyclist in my wing mirror approaching. Judging by his speed... yep RLJ's. Police car. Nothing. I stick my head out the window as to action if that was me on a bike you would chase me down, arrest me, truncheon me to death and claim I was resisting arrest.

Nope nothing. See its OK to RLJ when on a bike, the police told me so with their actions....