RLJ'ing - are we all guilty really?

biondino

On the way into work I had a brilliant and original thought about RLJing and now I've completely forgotten what it was! Bugger.

Greg T

¡Bye Ya! wrote:

Sheep Rugby etc etc

Are you really in NooZulund are just from there?

O'Day

Greg T> that quote should include something about unhinged and ill-tempered motorists if we're speaking generally. And yes, my brand of reality distortion currently unfolds in a place resembling NZ. And to me that does make BikeRadar a form of therapy.

Greg T

¡Bye Ya! wrote:

my brand of reality distortion currently unfolds in a place resembling NZ.

Hmmmm.....


You're either in New Zealand and as a consequence drunk and not sure or somewhere else 6,000 miles away from the nearest passport control and it's raining.

Are you in the Falklands?

O'Day

Awkward F*cking City, NZ.

There's my mountain in the foreground - if rugby's your reference, it's near Eden Park - my commute tends toward the great hypodermic needle in the distance. But, as I say, best to keep one's eye on the road, you almost need a license not to drive a car here, aptitude doesn't come into it.

biondino

The Falklands really have been developed over the last 25 years! *impressed*

Coriander

DonDaddyD wrote:

I don't f*cking know.

Firstly I try not to endager others.

Secondly my level of resposnsibility increases with the potential amount of damage I could cause.

I.e.

I don't follow the rules as a pedestrian, I cross when the road is clear.

I sometimes follow the rules on a bike. I may pass crossings if clear but red light is on, I won't pass junctions with roads on my left and right.

I follow the rules always and absolutely when in a car.

Isn't that THE rule for a pedestrian???

DonDaddyD

Coriander wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I don't f*cking know.

Firstly I try not to endager others.

Secondly my level of resposnsibility increases with the potential amount of damage I could cause.

I.e.

I don't follow the rules as a pedestrian, I cross when the road is clear.

I sometimes follow the rules on a bike. I may pass crossings if clear but red light is on, I won't pass junctions with roads on my left and right.

I follow the rules always and absolutely when in a car.

Isn't that THE rule for a pedestrian???

:shock: I thought your were gonna grammar bomb me, then put me is a punctuation hold, then pedant pin me to win the Internet rant belt....

Apparantly Peds can only cross when there is a green man.

Coriander

DonDaddyD wrote:

Coriander wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I don't f*cking know.

Firstly I try not to endager others.

Secondly my level of resposnsibility increases with the potential amount of damage I could cause.

I.e.

I don't follow the rules as a pedestrian, I cross when the road is clear.

I sometimes follow the rules on a bike. I may pass crossings if clear but red light is on, I won't pass junctions with roads on my left and right.

I follow the rules always and absolutely when in a car.

Isn't that THE rule for a pedestrian???

:shock: I thought your were gonna grammar bomb me, then put me is a punctuation hold, then pedant pin me to win the Internet rant belt....
Apparantly Peds can only cross when there is a green man.

Nah, I've given up on that one; I realise when I'm beaten. For now.

But I thought we'd established several pages back that in the UK the green man is for guidance only and is not an instruction. There is no crime of jaywalking in the UK.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Always Tyred wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Is it actually illegal in this country to cross when the red man is showing, as opposed to the green man?

In other news, I think I may have RLJed last night - if the light is amber when you enter the junction, but red as you leave it, is that RLJing?

Depends if it was safe to stop on amber. If not, then you were okay to go through and opposing traffic must wait until the jtn has cleared.

Red - stop.
Amber - stop if safe to do so
Green - proceed with caution (if junction clear)

Blimey. That's a bit anal.

Shurely the correct rubric is:

Green (if in motion) - fly through without a care in the world at speed limit + 20.
Amber - emergency "FLOOR IT" protocols are authorised. Temporary excess of up to 50 over the speed limit is authorised.
Red (first five second) - As amber, but with added urgency and vigilance (for safety, obv).
Red (after first five second) - Stop, allow brake fluid to cool. Check texts and select new track from Clarkson's Driving Tunes twin CD.
Red and amber - engage gear, depress brake, rev to min 5000 rpm, soak up smell of burning rubber.
Green (from standstill) - Release brake, bury throttle and it's Murray Walker shouting "IT'S GO GO GO !" in your ears

Has the Highway Code changed recently, then?

greg66_tri_v2.0

Coriander wrote:

There is no crime of jaywalking in the UK.

I have it on high authority that HM Treasury blocked plans to criminalise it.

They're thinking of how they can tax it instead.

secretsam

DonDaddyD wrote:

Apparantly Peds can only cross when there is a green man.

Apparently this ain't so, I was mistaken.

I'll just state that again: I was mistaken.

As for peds, it's been a while since I cycled in a town other than Aylesbury or Lahndon, but based on the sample of two, peds do tend to step out if they don't see a car. To most people, bikes = slow; they can judge a car speed (mostly) but not a bike's. Folk in the smoke are the worst I've ever come across, if I include my years of trundling round Bristol and Birmingham. Possibly this is due to the larger numbers of peds - I think the point around tube stations is well made. Plus - dangerous thin ice time - people in London tend to be a little...pre-occupied/self-focused. It's the nature of the place, too many people too little space. <<waits for abuse from London folk>>

And Center Parcs is a whole new game of lemmings... :shock:

DonDaddyD

Damn, and I thought I was such a rebel by not following the green cross code << kiss my teeth >>

Guess I'm gonna have to start RLJing proper on the bike, or play with trains....

Roastie

SecretSam wrote:

Plus - dangerous thin ice time - people in London tend to be a little...pre-occupied/self-focused. It's the nature of the place, too many people too little space. <<waits for abuse from London folk>>

Don't worry, it is only other London people who are that way.

Dudu

Paulie W wrote:

Dudu wrote:

Paulie W wrote:

Dudu wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Is it actually illegal in this country to cross when the red man is showing, as opposed to the green man?

No. Pedestrians are allowed to cross anywhere provided they exercise care. Usually, they don't exercise care, and then eff and blind about the cyclists (and sometimes motorists) legally riding through green lights who almost run into them.

Or alternatively, the vast majority cross in a perfectly reasonable fashion and have neither the need or inclination to engage in a slanging match with other road users.

You don't walk or cycle in Central London, then? Most ped crossings are full of lemming hordes whether the little man is red or green, especially outside tube stations.

London is not the centre of the earth

Oh yes it is <ducks>

Seriously, i bet it's a bit similar in any UK city during the rush hour, such as Brum, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristle. Or even Norwich (but a lot slower ).

Paulie W wrote:

I just find it irritating - and dont take that personally - how quick we - as in we cyclists, commuters - are to characterise/stereotype every other road user in a negative fashion.

I speak as I find. About half my cycling consists of riding around London in the rush hour, and pedestrians there are often mindless, iPod-attached lemmings. When I'm travelling by foot, I'm in a minority in actually waiting at little red men and paying attention. The other half consists of riding around the south-east countryside and various bits of la France Profonde, where there are hardly any pedestrians anyway.

Porgy

Dudu wrote:

Seriously, i bet it's a bit similar in any UK city during the rush hour, such as Brum, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristle. Or even Norwich (but a lot slower ).

I've cycled in London, Plymouth, Ipswich, Cambridge, Oxford, Brighton, Norwich, Aberdeen, Sheffield, Reading, slough, Rochester, Canterbury...can't say I've noticed a whole lot of difference in the behaviour of pedestrians from town to town. More people walking about with pasties in their hands in Plymouth, and I guess more people with their eyes glued to their i phones in London - but in the end it all comes down the same thing - people not concentrating on what they're doing.

I only really get annoyed if someone steps out in front of me looking at their phone!! :evil:

Still - I've always managed to stop in time - that makes me a good cyclist! 8)

chuckcork

Greg66 wrote:

Red (first five second) - As amber, but with added urgency and vigilance (for safety, obv).

Minor problem with that is that lights are sequenced so when yours is on Amber, one of the cross streets if at an intersection if its their turn and not the pedestrian sequence) will be on amber as well. By the time you're seeing a red, any motorcyclists there are already past the start of moving, by 2+ second past red they're already well into the intersection, and you've just sent them flying.

I haven't actually seen a collision happen, but I've seen it very nearly happen and with the miss being a fraction of a metre, at that only because the biker nearly locked up brakes coming to a halt to avoid being T-boned.

The drivers were naturally enough completely oblivious to the near hospitalisation they nearly brought about....

prj45

Always Tyred wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Is it actually illegal in this country to cross when the red man is showing, as opposed to the green man?

In other news, I think I may have RLJed last night - if the light is amber when you enter the junction, but red as you leave it, is that RLJing?

Depends if it was safe to stop on amber. If not, then you were okay to go through and opposing traffic must wait until the jtn has cleared.

Red - stop.
Amber - stop if safe to do so
Green - proceed with caution (if junction clear)

It's always illegal to cross the white line if the light is red at the time.

However, if you're already fully over the line and then the light is goes red you can't be prosecuted for ignoring the stop, but if you carry on I figure you could be prosecuted for dangerous driving.

The Rookie

Always Tyred wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Is it actually illegal in this country to cross when the red man is showing, as opposed to the green man?

In other news, I think I may have RLJed last night - if the light is amber when you enter the junction, but red as you leave it, is that RLJing?

Depends if it was safe to stop on amber. If not, then you were okay to go through and opposing traffic must wait until the jtn has cleared.

Red - stop.
Amber - stop if safe to do so
Green - proceed with caution (if junction clear)

Oops, you may want to read the highway code (again?)...
Red - stop.
Amber - STOP unless it is unsafe to do so.
Green - proceed with caution

Amber carries the same basic message as red, that is STOP.

The red/amber light applies to the white 'stop' line, or in the absence of such a line a line drawn across the road in line with the 'automated traffic signal'.

It is an offence for any part of the 'vehicle' to cross the stop line after the lights have gone red (even just the back bumper of a car).

Simon

rally200

Roastie wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

Plus - dangerous thin ice time - people in London tend to be a little...pre-occupied/self-focused. It's the nature of the place, too many people too little space. <<waits for abuse from London folk>>

Don't worry, it is only other London people who are that way.

In the friendliest way, you London folk do seem to be miserable, vengeful misanthropes.

gtvlusso

Well well well....so some of you admit it then!

Well, I am an RLJ'er (selectively), but we yokels have very few lights, light traffic and no crazy junctions to deal with...makes the job easier.

At least I am honest....:-)

roger_merriman

I don't jump lights on bike or car but on foot if the road is clear i'll cross rather than wait for some lights to change some 10 mins later.

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

Green (from standstill) - Release brake, bury throttle and it's Murray Walker shouting "IT'S GO GO GO !" in your ears

No, no, no... by the time the opposite light has switched to amber, you should have the throttle at high revs and be hanging off the clutch.

Release brake? You should already have done that... Unless you're on a hill, in which case the engine should be working against the handbrake. Extra points awarded for leaving bits of tyre on the road.

Kieran_Burns

lost_in_thought wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Green (from standstill) - Release brake, bury throttle and it's Murray Walker shouting "IT'S GO GO GO !" in your ears

No, no, no... by the time the opposite light has switched to amber, you should have the throttle at high revs and be hanging off the clutch.

Release brake? You should already have done that... Unless you're on a hill, in which case the engine should be working against the handbrake. Extra points awarded for leaving bits of tyre on the road.

handbrake? On a hill? Why on earth would you do that???

Are your driving skills so inadequate that you cannot hold the car on clutch? Extra points are awarded for over-revving / rolling back and forth over the solid white line.

<---- just in case!

greg66_tri_v2.0

Kieran_Burns wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Green (from standstill) - Release brake, bury throttle and it's Murray Walker shouting "IT'S GO GO GO !" in your ears

No, no, no... by the time the opposite light has switched to amber, you should have the throttle at high revs and be hanging off the clutch.

Release brake? You should already have done that... Unless you're on a hill, in which case the engine should be working against the handbrake. Extra points awarded for leaving bits of tyre on the road.

handbrake? On a hill? Why on earth would you do that???

Are your driving skills so inadequate that you cannot hold the car on clutch? Extra points are awarded for over-revving / rolling back and forth over the solid white line.

<---- just in case!

This is going to sound a bit crap, but that was written with an autobox in mind. I'd forgotten that people still drive manuals.

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Green (from standstill) - Release brake, bury throttle and it's Murray Walker shouting "IT'S GO GO GO !" in your ears

No, no, no... by the time the opposite light has switched to amber, you should have the throttle at high revs and be hanging off the clutch.

Release brake? You should already have done that... Unless you're on a hill, in which case the engine should be working against the handbrake. Extra points awarded for leaving bits of tyre on the road.

handbrake? On a hill? Why on earth would you do that???

Are your driving skills so inadequate that you cannot hold the car on clutch? Extra points are awarded for over-revving / rolling back and forth over the solid white line.

<---- just in case!

This is going to sound a bit crap, but that was written with an autobox in mind. I'd forgotten that people still drive manuals.

Is your view of the road pleasant from your sofa-mobile?

KB - I prefer the extremely high revs, smoking clutch, release the handbrake and squeal away at 4mph approach... it's what all the cool kids are doing. I see them in their Vauxhall Novas.

biondino

Best car I ever owned was a Citroen AX GT. You've brought back a lot of fond memories

the_hundredth_idiot

Porgy wrote:

I think it's one of the few things we've got right - and other countries have got wrong. Countless Brits have ended up being stopped/ fined/ arrested for jaywalking in the US - and my wife tells me it's very similar in Poland. Sounds oppressive to me - a sure fire way to ensure that cars rule and pedestrians are permanently sidelined.

Some of my friends were doing the classic American road trip - three of them in a big convertible for a week. They'd parked up in some small town for the night, had a few beers in the local bar and were wandering back to the motel. One of my friends starts to cross the road but at a "non-designated" crossing point, not realising this was an offence. Cue flashing blue lights, siren.

The officer gets out of his car and starts to admonish my friend. He responds by walking towards the policeman to apologise, at which point the office gets out his gun and points it at my friend with the words, "Stop right there, you're making me nervous!"

All my friend could say as his bowels started to open involuntarily was an incredulous, "I'm making YOU nervous?"

I think I prefer the British way ...