Just got £30 fine for jumping a red...!

2

Comments

  • shouldbeinbed
    shouldbeinbed Posts: 2,660
    hakko wrote:
    I accept I broke the law. But I asked the police, what about these guys::

    Boris jumping reds?
    http://www.mirror.co.uk/sunday-mirror/2 ... -20414272/

    And Cameron too?
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7308400.stm

    Does anyone know if they got any fines?

    If not I'll report it on a police online crime report form.

    Yeah lets not prosecute anyone for motoring offences until Chris Huhne is locked up. :roll: (I hate this sarcastic smiley but you deserve it)

    Take responsibility for your own actions without whining
  • thelawnet
    thelawnet Posts: 719
    I came up to a red light today, 4-way junction, I was going straight ahead, a coach was sticking out into the road from across the other side of the junction (the main route), making it relatively to go on red, blocking traffic entering from the left and right, so I






    hopped off my bike and legged it across the junction, remounting on the other side.

    I felt a sense of smugness when I saw a cop car parked in the middle of the road on the other side, having quite legally gone through the red light.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Learn to stop. You'll actually get much fitter from the stop start - see it as an interval session between the lights. Slacker !! :twisted:
  • Libraio
    Libraio Posts: 181
    Though cookie. Or in Dutch: 'Wie zich brand moet op de blaren zitten...'
    The Commuter: 2009 Trek District
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Bad luck. Not saying I condone RLJing, I don't.

    But "let he who is without sin cast the first stone".

    I don't like the idea of fining people, but I'm pretty sure in London more cyclists RLJ than don't.

    Sometimes I find it almost impossible to get out of certain junctions on Balham High Road because of the constant stream of RLJers. If more of these tickets get handed out this might stop.
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    hakko wrote:
    Just got £30 fine for jumping a red...!

    Good.

    Perhaps if less cyclist's jumped red lights police would get more time to concentrate of actually making the roads safer by chasing after the real dangers like badly driven cars and trucks.
    Photos - Blog - Bike
  • superkenners
    superkenners Posts: 169
    Focus your energy on moaning about all those big red things jumping red lights as a point of routine, now that's dangerous, plenty of flowers by lamp posts to prove it. Cameron and Boris told me they'd stop jumping if they do

    And for those sympathising with Cabbies, biggest bunch of c*nts on the road, random u-turns and they seem to feel they have a right to drive you into the gutter if there is a potential fare with their arm in the air :evil:
    Allez
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  • tri-sexual
    tri-sexual Posts: 672
    which town, city?
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    tri-sexual wrote:
    which town, city?

    It's a thread about RLJing, almost certainly London.
  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    hakko wrote:
    What annoys me most about cyclists, are those that don't have lights or visibility jackets at night!

    So.... you think running red lights is ok even though it's against the law but you get annoyed at people who don't wear ridiculous hi-viz jackets?

    I assume it a Fixed Penalty Notice so you have two options:

    1. STFU and pay up.

    2. Go to court and try to contest the charge.
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  • Zachariah
    Zachariah Posts: 782
    But, Sir! Cameron and Johnson were doing it too and they didn't get detention! It's SO UNFAIR!
  • navt
    navt Posts: 374
    edited May 2011
    fossyant wrote:
    Learn to stop. You'll actually get much fitter from the stop start - see it as an interval session between the lights. Slacker !! :twisted:

    So true. Any knob can spin at 25. Try out-accelerating me! I live for red lights.
  • antikythera
    antikythera Posts: 326
    With so many people here proclaiming they don't RLJ, then whose doing it? :)

    Personally I can't stand the RLJ feckers, but I love passing them further down the road.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    antikythera wrote:
    With so many people here proclaiming they don't RLJ, then whose doing it? :)
    There are a few on here who 'admit' (own up to, proclaim loudly that they do) like Manc (strangley silent recently)......however I think people who apply some thought realise the stupidiy of it, many I see RLJ in my local town do it as if the red lights simply don't apply to them, whether through total arrogance or total ignorance (or both) I'm not sure.

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    antikythera wrote:
    With so many people here proclaiming they don't RLJ, then whose doing it? :)

    Personally I can't stand the RLJ feckers, but I love passing them further down the road.

    Thing is the people on here are cycle enthusiasts, it's the people who just use a bike as a means of transport that are the likely offenders.

    I think the main problem is people on bikes see themselves more as pedestrians than traffic. So just as peds will take a road crossing almost as advisory, they think the same about traffic lights when on their bikes.

    I used to RLJ (not all the time) until I started reading these forums, now I don't.
  • antikythera
    antikythera Posts: 326
    The Beginner wrote:
    however I think people who apply some thought realise the stupidiy of it

    Probably not.

    Make it a >£100 fine, and allow the hobby bobbies to issue them as well :evil:, If its worth $$$ to the police/council/government then they'll enforce it.

    OP: ha ha.
  • hfidgen
    hfidgen Posts: 340
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    Serious question

    How far up the road do you look?

    I mean honestly, there we are as cyclist making ourselves visible and complaining about motorist who don't see us (SMIDSY) and there you are managaing not to see police officers waiting suspiciously at the lights. Were these Ninja Police?

    My issue isn't that you go a fine. It's not even that you RLJ'd. It's that you managed to miss the highly visible and distinct shapes associated with police, be it bicycle, motorcycle or the officers - all of which are doused in hi-visibility clobber.

    If you can't see that, something designed to be as visible as possible, then how can you be sure the crossing is clear as you go through.

    For not seeing the police you deserve a fine let alone for the actual offence.

    +1 tbh - by far the best justification yet :lol:
    FCN 4 - BMC CX02
  • jeremyrundle
    jeremyrundle Posts: 1,014
    What is sauce for the goose, one law for all.
    Peds with ipods, natures little speed humps

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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Fantastic news, hope more get caught!
  • mtb-idle
    mtb-idle Posts: 2,179
    sorry mate, no sympathy from me either.
    FCN = 4
  • Confusedboy
    Confusedboy Posts: 287
    hakko wrote:
    Yes sometimes it is safer to jump a red. Roads are designed with cars in mind and only recently are they considering cyclists, especially in London.

    It is NEVER safe to jump a red light, and it is ALWAYS illegal. You might be able to argue that sometimes it is safer to wait at an imaginary ASL so that everyone can see you, also illegal, but never to cross the junction or crossing against a red light.
  • thelawnet
    thelawnet Posts: 719
    Confusedboy wrote:
    hakko wrote:
    Yes sometimes it is safer to jump a red. Roads are designed with cars in mind and only recently are they considering cyclists, especially in London.

    It is NEVER safe to jump a red light

    Well only in that it is 'never' safe to do anything. It's safe to ride through a deserted pelican crossing, you could jump this left-turn signal: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... 63,,0,2.14 fairly safely if you pay attention to the road scene.

    I'm sure there are other examples, where in fact going through the red light, while certainly illegal, is not necessarily dangerous, certainly safer than say cycling along a major trunk road or even trying to cross the slip road when vehicles coming hurtling off at 70mph+.
    and it is ALWAYS illegal. You might be able to argue that sometimes it is safer to wait at an imaginary ASL so that everyone can see you, also illegal, but never to cross the junction or crossing against a red light.

    TBH, people don't need to argue anything. Fact is red light jumping is a possible way for cyclists to get killed or injured, but it's not the most significant cause, not by a long shot.

    And while cyclists can be fined £30 for jumping red lights, it's not much of a deterrent, there are no penalty points, no cameras, rarely any police enforcing, so it's no surprise that people still do it.

    Personally speaking I do tend to wait on red, and sometimes RLJing cyclists wind me up, but then again the fact is red lights only exist because of the death and destruction caused by motor vehicles - cyclists are protected by red lights, whereas otherwise the red lights are protection from vehicles.
  • Hairybuddha
    Hairybuddha Posts: 59
    Great stuff, just a shame it wan't more than £30 - Hopefully you'll have a think and moderate your behaviour before you next RLJ puts you and/or someone else in danger.
  • motopatter
    motopatter Posts: 179
    maybe in the city RLJing is potentially dangerous, however on my mainly rural commute there are only a few lights - one set is at a T-junction which serves a tip and a park and ride facility. I am fooked if I'm stopping there if I can plainly see nothing with right of way.

    If you jump a red light on a bike you're taking your own chances IMO. sometimes you get a fine, sometimes you get run over and sometimes you keep momentum.

    my £0.02 :D
    wave your willy here !!!! :)
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    and sometimes you hit / annoy / frighten pedestrians,

    and sometimes you add to the poor image of cyclists and add to the justification that drivers feel in citing RLJ'ing as why ALL cyclists are hated and treated with disrespect. We all suffer from the (albeit unfair) generalisation your behaviour causes.

    Whoops, I think we've covered this before on the forum . . .

    :wink:
  • motopatter
    motopatter Posts: 179
    Kurako wrote:
    hakko wrote:
    What annoys me most about cyclists, are those that don't have lights or visibility jackets at night!

    So.... you think running red lights is ok even though it's against the law but you get annoyed at people who don't wear ridiculous hi-viz jackets?

    I assume it a Fixed Penalty Notice so you have two options:

    1. STFU and pay up.

    2. Go to court and try to contest the charge.

    you forgot -

    3. chat about it on an internet forum accepting diatribe from anybody angry enough to be bothered :lol:
    wave your willy here !!!! :)
  • motopatter
    motopatter Posts: 179
    alfablue wrote:
    and sometimes you hit / annoy / frighten pedestrians,

    and sometimes you add to the poor image of cyclists and add to the justification that drivers feel in citing RLJ'ing as why ALL cyclists are hated and treated with disrespect. We all suffer from the (albeit unfair) generalisation your behaviour causes.

    Whoops, I think we've covered this before on the forum . . .

    :wink:

    my red lights that I jump are rural and not busy. I recon most of you anti RLJumpers are in the city right? I agree it would be crazy to do it there. And I wouldn't condone putting peds or others at risk -or myself, so I doubt I'd RLJ at 99% of lights - I just happen to have a couple where in my opinion (not anybody else's on the internet) it is on occaisions perfectly safe to pedal through them.
    wave your willy here !!!! :)
  • motopatter
    motopatter Posts: 179
    alfablue wrote:
    the poor image of cyclists

    IMO the poor image of cyclists is probably

    because they take up space on the road, so drivers may have to slow to pass.
    because drivers are jealous when they have to sit at a traffic light and the cyclist RLJs (and then they have to pass them again)

    -what else is there that actively affects / could significantly bother another road user?
    wave your willy here !!!! :)
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    motopatter wrote:
    alfablue wrote:
    -what else is there that actively affects / could significantly bother another road user?
    cyclists cycling
  • nich
    nich Posts: 888
    Hairybuddha wrote:
    Great stuff, just a shame it wan't more than £30 - Hopefully you'll have a think and moderate your behaviour before you next RLJ puts you and/or someone else in danger.

    Interesting that. Imagine if they bumped the fine upto £500 and spent a few months enforcing it a bit more. I reckon we would see a huge drop in RLJ'ing :)

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