What do you do when a traffic light turns red?

Yossie

Why do people jump red lights - serious question. I quite like stopping at them because it gives you a chance to look at girls.

blinddrew

Yossie wrote:

Why do people jump red lights - serious question. I quite like stopping at them because it gives you a chance to look at girls.

It gives me a chance to get my breath back! Because, you know, otherwise I would totally be setting a PB up this hill...

Peacenik

It's a great training aid - catching up with the red light jumpers each time the light turns green, only for them to sail past you again, as they ignore the next red light. It happens to me almost every morning.

newtonuk

I stop and curse the red light jumpers or those that rode up onto the pavement to go around the lights.

LuckyMap63

Has anybody read a copy of The Highway Code lately? This rarely read little book is for the benefit of ALL road users.
Does anyone know what the phases of the traffic lights mean? The lights go, Red, Red & Amber, Green, Amber and then back to Red. Red means STOP, wait behind the stop line. Red & Amber means STOP, do not pass stop line until Green shows. Green, well every idiot knows this one. Amber (on its own) means STOP, you can proceed if already having passed the stop line, or if in stopping you would cause an accident.
The last one is interesting. If you are approaching a set of lights that turn amber and you cannot safely stop, aren't you going too fast! Even a cyclist.
In my book, anyone, be it cyclist or vehicle driver, who passes a STOP light on a phase of traffic lights is playing Russian roulette and consequently deserves what is coming too them!
I'm sorry if this upsets people, but The Highway Code is not just guidance. It is for ALL road users safety and education.

joelsim

I always stop. 100% of the time even if there is no-one else around.

I would put it at 50% of commuters in London stop, p*sses me off. That's not because I abide by every single law because I don't, but cycling through lights causes accidents, annoys other road users, which comes back to bite us on the arse with angry drivers.

I'd be happy to have a little numberplate brought in for cyclists.

chris_bass

Joelsim wrote:

I always stop. 100% of the time even if there is no-one else around.

I would put it at 50% of commuters in London stop, p*sses me off. That's not because I abide by every single law because I don't, but cycling through lights causes accidents, annoys other road users, which comes back to bite us on the ars* with angry drivers.

I'd be happy to have a little numberplate brought in for cyclists.

I’m sure the laws you choose to ignore p*sses lots of people off too!

and how would you fund the number plates and the licencing of the bikes? would you have a minimum age for cycling? and what would it achieve?

goonz

No handed track stand like a boss...

#iwish

barrowmatt

I stop the vast majority of the time, I can think of 2 T junctions where I have been guilty of rolling through slowly in the cycle lane (i'm riding through on the top of the T so going straight ahead) when it's clear on the basis that no traffic would be crossing that section of road.

Likewise as a car driver I don't jump red lights but probably break the speed limit at some point on most journeys like most others.

Jaguar.

Joelsim wrote:

I always stop. 100% of the time even if there is no-one else around.

I would put it at 50% of commuters in London stop, p*sses me off. That's not because I abide by every single law because I don't, but cycling through lights causes accidents, annoys other road users, which comes back to bite us on the ars* with angry drivers.

I'd be happy to have a little numberplate brought in for cyclists.

Which laws do you choose to ignore and why is that OK?

monkimark

LuckyMap63 wrote:

The last one is interesting. If you are approaching a set of lights that turn amber and you cannot safely stop, aren't you going too fast! Even a cyclist.

Depends how close to the line you are when they change - if you're 30cm away then you're not going to be able to stop in time at much more than walking pace.
I have heard of police fining a cyclist for going through the lights on amber, although it was a friend of a friend type story so there may be some chinese whispers going on.

vimfuego

A wonderful thing happened on the commute home last night on CS7. I stoppped at a red (in the accepted fashion) - no way of sailing through and passing it off as having been amber when I hit the junction, so just eased up and waited. About 5 seconds later a hipster on a fixie sidles up, slows a bit, comes round me and kicks on.

"It's red!" says I (I don't usually bother, having been on the end of a mouthful of abuse last time I bothered)
He carries on.
"Oh, and there's a copper the other side" - looking at the Policeman in hi-viz the other side.
He carries on anyway. Muppet.
And gets pulled over. For once - the system works.
Cue smug grinning when the rest of us that did stop sailed past him as he was getting his ticket.

Pity about the others that ran lights this morning.....
Oh well, small victories.

waytogohome

Most of the time, but with the roadworks through straftord for the cycle lane (meatgrinder) onto the bow flyover it's become a dangerous "crunch", 3 lanes down to 1.5 or is that 2 and then back to 1.5

shmooster

I got a warning from the police this morning for stopping at a red light. I was just in front of the green box leaning on the post of the lights to avoid having to unclip and apparently that's equivalent to jumping a red light. I was pretty surprised and not very impressed. Was in Clapham just near the northcote. I had to stop arguing as I was in danger of getting a fine. I don't jump red lights but now I feel like I'm owed a free RLJ. Seems only fair.

joelsim

Jaguar. wrote:

Joelsim wrote:

I always stop. 100% of the time even if there is no-one else around.

I would put it at 50% of commuters in London stop, p*sses me off. That's not because I abide by every single law because I don't, but cycling through lights causes accidents, annoys other road users, which comes back to bite us on the ars* with angry drivers.

I'd be happy to have a little numberplate brought in for cyclists.

Which laws do you choose to ignore and why is that OK?

Only ones that involve having a good time.

gazza1000

I'd agree on the pedestrian crossing point.If people have gone e.g. they pressed the lights but no cars so went anyway what is the point of stopping? Is it necessary to stop if no one is around to use the crossing? Surely common sense should prevail here.

shmooster

Further to my post about getting a police warning for stopping ahead of the ASL but in line with the lights, I just checked the leaflet they gave me. It says:

"Cyclists. Do not cross the second stop line (meaning the front of the ASL) when the traffic signal is red. Contravening a traffic signal is against the law and could result in a £50 fine".

So there you go, you don't even need to jump a red light to get a £50 fine, just be ahead of the front of the ASL box.

chris_bass

Joelsim wrote:

Jaguar. wrote:

Joelsim wrote:

I always stop. 100% of the time even if there is no-one else around.

I would put it at 50% of commuters in London stop, p*sses me off. That's not because I abide by every single law because I don't, but cycling through lights causes accidents, annoys other road users, which comes back to bite us on the ars* with angry drivers.

I'd be happy to have a little numberplate brought in for cyclists.

Which laws do you choose to ignore and why is that OK?

Only ones that involve having a good time.

Drugs and hookers it is then!

The Rookie

shmooster wrote:

I got a warning from the police this morning for stopping at a red light. I was just in front of the green box leaning on the post of the lights to avoid having to unclip and apparently that's equivalent to jumping a red light. I was pretty surprised and not very impressed. Was in Clapham just near the northcote. I had to stop arguing as I was in danger of getting a fine. I don't jump red lights but now I feel like I'm owed a free RLJ. Seems only fair.

Crossing the white stop line when the lights are red (or Amber and you could safely stop) is an offence, so he was right, he was prepared to give you a friendly warning, I see nothing wrong with that.

I guess he was "not very impressed" by the unenducated donut that wanted to argue about the law which he knew and the donut didn't?

Saying you don't jump red lights having admitted to (in terms of the law) doing so seems a little disingenuous?

tilt

shmooster wrote:

Further to my post about getting a police warning for stopping ahead of the ASL but in line with the lights, I just checked the leaflet they gave me. It says:

"Cyclists. Do not cross the second stop line (meaning the front of the ASL) when the traffic signal is red. Contravening a traffic signal is against the law and could result in a £50 fine".

So there you go, you don't even need to jump a red light to get a £50 fine, just be ahead of the front of the ASL box.

That is jumping a red light...

shmooster

The Rookie wrote:

Crossing the white stop line when the lights are red (or Amber and you could safely stop) is an offence, so he was right, he was prepared to give you a friendly warning, I see nothing wrong with that.

I guess he was "not very impressed" by the unenducated donut that wanted to argue about the law which he knew and the donut didn't?

Saying you don't jump red lights having admitted to (in terms of the law) doing so seems a little disingenuous?

Well, to be fair there's not a lot of danger or annoying other road users by stopping at a light rather than the line behind it, but I take the point that the law states it's the line and not the light. Anyway, I thought it was worth posting and adding the clarification of the law in a further post so others can become educated donuts.