Law on cycling through roadwork red light ?

antfly

Anyone know what it is.. I only ask because I was riding through one at a residential area crossroads with plenty of room to get past and no danger to anyone when someone I never saw decided to throw some sort of cable with a big metal end into the road in front of me just as I went past. Fortunately it missed my wheel and I managed to avoid the big metal bit and rode over the cable. I thought it was an accident and continued on my merry way but in the same place today, presumably the same bloke was in the lorry as I passed and gave a big long blast on his horn followed by some rather choice language, so the thrown cable with heavy metal end was obviously deliberate and this guy is a menace.

markhewitt1978

They carry the same legal status as fixed red lights, so riding through them is just as illegal.

mrfpb

Roadwork red lights are there to allow roadworks to happen. They sometimes have both ends on red to allow work to take place and move vehicles and machinery around. Red still means stop, even on temporary lights!

zx6man

Red light is red light, but get the same wire and wrap it around his head.

Phil_D

What made you think the answer would be anything but stop until it turns green again?

mrfpb

You didn't see whoever it was that threw the wire, what makes you think he saw you? Don't assume it was the same bloke the second time. Were you jumping the red again the second time? I'd not advise doing it a third time.

Pross

This is the primary legislation http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/36

so as long as they are legally placed and that meet the prescribed regulations http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/regulation/35/made and then this http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/regulation/36/made (note in particular 36 1 c) and 1 e) - how many people pay attention to that??).

antfly

Thanks for that, the law is rarely simple, that's why I asked.
I am pretty sure it was a deliberate act by the way it landed right in front of me and by the overreaction today. I do intend to avoid that road now, the bloke might just hate cyclists, it only has 5 days to go anyway..I was thinking of reporting him but maybe not if it's going to incriminate me.

ToeKnee

Red means stop. Simple.
If I were driving through roadworks, single file, I would not expect to find someone coming towards me (be that car, scooter, motorbike or cycle) - you are putting yourself in danger espcially if at night.
Single file roadworks are horrible because they are often tight on space and the delayed motorist is chomping at the bit to run over anything in its way. I walk on the pavement in preferrence.

mrfpb

antfly wrote:

Thanks for that, the law is rarely simple, that's why I asked.
I am pretty sure it was a deliberate act by the way it landed right in front of me and by the overreaction today. I do intend to avoid that road now, the bloke might just hate cyclists, it only has 5 days to go anyway..I was thinking of reporting him but maybe not if it's going to incriminate me.

I think you'd have got more sympathy in "Commuters".

markhewitt1978

ToeKnee wrote:

Red means stop. Simple.
If I were driving through roadworks, single file, I would not expect to find someone coming towards me (be that car, scooter, motorbike or cycle) - you are putting yourself in danger espcially if at night.
Single file roadworks are horrible because they are often tight on space and the delayed motorist is chomping at the bit to run over anything in its way. I walk on the pavement in preferrence.

A couple of months ago there was a rash of water main repairs around here, so lots of road works to stop at. Every time I had to take primary through the works (as there was no way a car could overtake me), I met with drivers driving up my backside, or some of them beeping at me to get me out of their way - even when I myself was being held up by a car in front of me.

kieranb

what about where the is no red light but just a builder standing by the road side waving traffic through or stopping it with hand signals?

Doctor House

Maybe he shouted at you because you damaged the cable when you ran over it the other day.

antfly

Long, narrow roadworks are horrible on a bike, I agree, especially when the traffic starts coming towards you in the midddle as has happened to me in the past, and it wasn't even red that time. This one was very short though, it had 4 sets of light, 1 for for each direction and the actual work seemed to be on the pavement so plenty of opportunity to nip out. I don't commute, by the way, and not after sympathy, just the facts...

Caller

kieranb wrote:

what about where the is no red light but just a builder standing by the road side waving traffic through or stopping it with hand signals?

Hand signals as in waving his hands about or hand operated like the Stop/Go boards?

Pross

antfly wrote:

Long, narrow roadworks are horrible on a bike, I agree, especially when the traffic starts coming towards you in the midddle as has happened to me in the past, and it wasn't even red that time. This one was very short though, it had 4 sets of light, 1 for for each direction and the actual work seemed to be on the pavement so plenty of opportunity to nip out. I don't commute, by the way, and not after sympathy, just the facts...

Stop / Go boards work using the some regulations as temporary lights (i.e. they are permitted signs). Hand signals only have a legal status if they are being made by a copper or someone with delegated powers such as a traffic warden, PCSO or accredited marshal in a bike race i.e. not some bricky or even a banksman in hi-vis stopping traffic so he can get a delivery into a site. On one of my sites the site agent got nicked for stopping traffic whilst they finished off a trench re-instatement, he got warned first time and then did it again when he thought the coppers had left. They came around again and arrested him. He didn't mind the caution as he got a job done that would otherwise have needed a 28 day request for a road closure and all the hassle that went with it.

gary.hounsome

if it is really short and no other cars on the road and no workmen there, ie late at night/early on I tend to ride/drive through but if there long I wait just in case a vehicle does appear when half way through.

I stopped at some the other day on the bike, they were short but workmen were around and they waved me through which was nice but I'd never ride through with workmen present

Kieran_Burns

mrfpb wrote:

antfly wrote:

Thanks for that, the law is rarely simple, that's why I asked.
I am pretty sure it was a deliberate act by the way it landed right in front of me and by the overreaction today. I do intend to avoid that road now, the bloke might just hate cyclists, it only has 5 days to go anyway..I was thinking of reporting him but maybe not if it's going to incriminate me.

I think you'd have got more sympathy in "Commuters".

Nope. Lynched.

Frank the tank

Billy Ocean said it all "Red light spells danger"

Don't ride through them.

freddiegrubb

Something in the back of my mind from many years ago may tells me that temporary lights are only to be red/green & the presence of amber makes them illegal, comments from legal eagles please

Pross

freddiegrubb wrote:

Something in the back of my mind from many years ago may tells me that temporary lights are only to be red/green & the presence of amber makes them illegal, comments from legal eagles please

From my link above

35. Portable light signals for the control of vehicular traffic other than tramcars shall be—

(a)of the size, colour and type shown in diagram 3000.1;

(b)illuminated in the sequence prescribed by regulation 33(3); and

(c)so constructed that, if European Standard EN12368: 2000 applied to portable signals, they would be ES compliant.

Diagram 3000.1 is a 3 aspect head the same as for permanent signals see here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/schedule/8/made

kieranb

Pross wrote:

antfly wrote:

Long, narrow roadworks are horrible on a bike, I agree, especially when the traffic starts coming towards you in the midddle as has happened to me in the past, and it wasn't even red that time. This one was very short though, it had 4 sets of light, 1 for for each direction and the actual work seemed to be on the pavement so plenty of opportunity to nip out. I don't commute, by the way, and not after sympathy, just the facts...

Stop / Go boards work using the some regulations as temporary lights (i.e. they are permitted signs). Hand signals only have a legal status if they are being made by a copper or someone with delegated powers such as a traffic warden, PCSO or accredited marshal in a bike race i.e. not some bricky or even a banksman in hi-vis stopping traffic so he can get a delivery into a site. On one of my sites the site agent got nicked for stopping traffic whilst they finished off a trench re-instatement, he got warned first time and then did it again when he thought the coppers had left. They came around again and arrested him. He didn't mind the caution as he got a job done that would otherwise have needed a 28 day request for a road closure and all the hassle that went with it.

Thanks, answers my question about the hand signals, not that I ignore them anyway as it is just sensible to assume if they are indicating you to stop then something is coming the other way or some big piece of machinery is being moved about.

Superbalicious

Red, red and amber, and amber all mean stop. Green means you can proceed ONLY if the way ahead is clear. I am not aware of any historic reference to traffic signals using red and green only. Traffic signals as we know them today are prescribed for use by secondary legislation (the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions).

robz400

You ran a red light and are suprised to have been told off? :roll:

How much bl00dy media coverage is there atm about cyclists?! 4 tragically killed in london this week and it always ends up with people moaning about bikes running red lights...

You keep running your red lights - we'll all be carrying bl00dy number plates, hi vis vests, full face helmets and a man walking in front of us with a flag at this rate!!!!!!

MrSweary

Just to throw a cat amongst you pidgeons my Dads friend was involved in (what I'm told) was a test case years ago having gone through a roadword red light in a horse drawn carriage. It was found that as the far end of the light was clearly visible and free of any traffic he couldn't be prosecuted for going through it. Wish I had more info to back this up but I don't.

If I can see the other end (i.e they are very short) and there is no other traffic in sight I'll happily jump them. Not so permanent lights.

Please ensure the noose is nice and tight.

Pross

MrSweary wrote:

Just to throw a cat amongst you pidgeons my Dads friend was involved in (what I'm told) was a test case years ago having gone through a roadword red light in a horse drawn carriage. It was found that as the far end of the light was clearly visible and free of any traffic he couldn't be prosecuted for going through it. Wish I had more info to back this up but I don't.

If I can see the other end (i.e they are very short) and there is no other traffic in sight I'll happily jump them. Not so permanent lights.

Please ensure the noose is nice and tight.

Sounds wrong to me. The offence is committed when you pass the stop line (or in the case of temporary lights the 'wait here when red light shows' sign) when a red light is showing. It's black and white so I can't see why there would even need to be a test case. Possible mitigation for sentencing maybe though.

capt_slog

Slightly off-topic.

I used to work shifts when I first left school, I was a computer operator at a large company and used to finish at midnight one week out of three. There were some three-way lights on my way home and my bike ( and later my little 100cc motorbike) didn't trigger the sensors built into the road. This meant I either had to wait until a car joined me at a red light or just go through it carefully and hope for the best.

There wasn't as much traffic out after midnight in 1978, so I frequently went through the red light.

markhewitt1978

The law allows an exception to go through red lights when it's obvious that the lights are faulty. Not sure on the exact timings or if it's a "reasonable person" thing. Notably, there is no such exception for red wig-wags the likes you'll find at level crossings or outside fire stations, you aren't permitted to go through those, not even if directed by a police officer.

Wardy74

I nearly felled a very big tree on a "cyclist" when he decided to ignore a red light and the frantic waving of colleagues' arms. I had gone past the point of no return with the chainsaw and it was only his cat-like reactions that saved him from being at one with a mighty oak. Rider be very aware I'd say.

ianspeare

If you wouldn't drive through it, why would you ride through it?

greg66_tri_v2.0

antfly wrote:

Anyone know what it is.. I only ask because I was riding through one at a residential area crossroads with plenty of room to get past and no danger to anyone when someone I never saw decided to throw some sort of cable with a big metal end into the road in front of me just as I went past. Fortunately it missed my wheel and I managed to avoid the big metal bit and rode over the cable. I thought it was an accident and continued on my merry way but in the same place today, presumably the same bloke was in the lorry as I passed and gave a big long blast on his horn followed by some rather choice language, so the thrown cable with heavy metal end was obviously deliberate and this guy is a menace.

You were in the wrong. The lorry driver wasn't, nor is he a menace. He is trying to point out to you that you were in the wrong. The fact that you still don't understand what you did wrong, even when it is pointed out to, makes you the menace.

You need to amend your sig line, I'd say.