RLJ - don't do it

hayesu
hayesu Posts: 138
edited September 2010 in Commuting chat
A female colleague in my office got taken out by an RLJ on Fulham Palace Road in London at about 7pm near the Spitfire restaurant. She was crossing a Pelican crossing on foot with the light for traffic on red and was left lying in the middle of the road with a head injury. She was treated at Charing Cross hospital and is very shaken up. The rider, who gave a false phone number (and then another one when that was checked out) said his glasses were steamed up so he couldn't see. She was with some very elderly WW2 verterans who could easliy have been seriously injured. This of course reinfiorces the belief that all cyclists go through red lights
When will these tw8ts learn?
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Comments

  • W1
    W1 Posts: 2,636
    hayesu wrote:
    A female colleague in my office got taken out by an RLJ on Fulham Palace Road in London at about 7pm near the Spitfire restaurant. She was crossing a Pelican crossing on foot with the light for traffic on red and was left lying in the middle of the road with a head injury. She was treated at Charing Cross hospital and is very shaken up. The rider, who gave a false phone number (and then another one when that was checked out) said his glasses were steamed up so he couldn't see. She was with some very elderly WW2 verterans who could easliy have been seriously injured. This of course reinfiorces the belief that all cyclists go through red lights
    When will these tw8ts learn?

    When they get hit by a bus, having been convinced that it was "safe" to run the lights.

    Apart from that there's not much you can do to educate the brain-dead morons who RLJ.
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    hayesu wrote:
    When will these tw8ts learn?

    When the cars, motorcycles, buses, and taxis do.
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    Fair enough, don't RLJ when there are people crossing / waiting to cross or when there is other traffic coming. Otherwise, it remains a grey area. Next.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,481
    Aidy wrote:
    hayesu wrote:
    When will these tw8ts learn?

    When the cars, motorcycles, buses, and taxis do.

    Unfortunately this is true. I sometimes stop at a red, then get overtaken by a taxi applying the Dara O'Briain "red means "ah go on, just three more" rule. I was also nearly squahsed once by a bus that assumed I was going to RLJ, then realised I wasn't. I just heard brakes being vigorously applied, but a passing pedestrian looked a little shaken.

    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    rjsterry wrote:
    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.

    Yeah, I don't disagree with this.

    I'm just a bit fed up with people villainising cyclists as red light jumpers, when all traffic does it.
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    Aidy wrote:
    rjsterry wrote:
    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.

    Yeah, I don't disagree with this.

    I'm just a bit fed up with people villainising cyclists as red light jumpers, when all traffic does it.

    some cyclist tend to do it through a line of peds crossing, whereas they'll have waited for a car to pass before starting to cross. the lack of respect is also a factor

    Not for one minute am I condoning cycling through reds though, it's all about perception.
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
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    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • Aidy wrote:
    rjsterry wrote:
    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.

    Yeah, I don't disagree with this.

    I'm just a bit fed up with people villainising cyclists as red light jumpers, when all traffic does it.

    Two wrongs don't make a _______?
  • W1
    W1 Posts: 2,636
    Aidy wrote:
    rjsterry wrote:
    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.

    Yeah, I don't disagree with this.

    I'm just a bit fed up with people villainising cyclists as red light jumpers, when all traffic does it.

    Lets be honest though - cyclists as a group do it more regularly (and more blatently) than any other group of road users.
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Two wrongs don't make a _______?

    mushroom?
  • Mr Sworld
    Mr Sworld Posts: 703

    Two wrongs don't make a _______?

    more than one Chinese baby?
  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    Two wrongs don't make a _______?

    Omelette?
  • Come on people, clearly it has to start with a consonant or it'd be 'an'.


    A Omelette?


    Tut tut.
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Hey, mine was grammatically correct.
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Aidy wrote:
    rjsterry wrote:
    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.

    Yeah, I don't disagree with this.

    I'm just a bit fed up with people villainising cyclists as red light jumpers, when all traffic does it.

    Two wrongs don't make a _______?
    tautology, except in certain conditions.
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    I watched a Bywater Waste Management lorry plough through 2 reds outside Vauxhall Cross the other night, he didn't even hint at slowing.

    It's c*untish behaviour regardless of what mode of transport you use, but I see far more cyclist doing it than any other road user, ironically all most all of them seem to wear helmets.
  • gbsahne001
    gbsahne001 Posts: 1,973
    It's c*untish behaviour regardless of what mode of transport you use, but I see far more cyclist doing it than any other road user, ironically all most all of them seem to wear helmets.

    That's because the lids make the cyclist invincible and impervious to being hurt
  • Bikerbaboon
    Bikerbaboon Posts: 1,017
    W1 wrote:
    Aidy wrote:
    rjsterry wrote:
    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.

    Yeah, I don't disagree with this.

    I'm just a bit fed up with people villainising cyclists as red light jumpers, when all traffic does it.

    Lets be honest though - cyclists as a group do it more regularly (and more blatently) than any other group of road users.

    Realy ? :wink:
    Any studies dont on it ?

    the shear number of cars that speed through on an amber light ( or stop unless its unsafe to do so light) or run over in to a advanced stop lane ( again jumping a red light) i would be shocked if cyclists do it more often.


    The day people will stop running red lights is the day they dont think they are more inportant that any one else.

    also

    two wrongs dont make a _________

    Anthropomorphism of a ferrit to retell religous stories
    Nothing in life can not be improved with either monkeys, pirates or ninjas
    456
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    Two wrongs don't make a _______?

    Chicken....?

    +1 for not jumping ped lights, but I will be honest and say that on some of the backwater stretches of my commute (country roads with nothing on them) - I will bimble through one or 2 junctions - only need to worry about cows crossing!

    Would not risk it in town now, a few years ago it was okay as the roads were empty, but now that *new* traffic systems are in place and cycling is more prevailent, it is simply too risky as you cannot see everything and everyone is in a rush to get through the lights anyway.....
  • ndru
    ndru Posts: 382
    I don't jump red lights. However I must admit it's sometimes tempting when there's absolutely noone around and it's just a pedestrian crossing.
  • hayesu
    hayesu Posts: 138
    [the shear number of cars that speed through on an amber light ]
    Yep - when have you heard complaints drivers of motorists/taxis/lorries ALL run red lights? Anyway the case is being reported to the police as there was an offence with injury caused. There are witnesses and, I think, contact details of the suspect (not sure if they are genuine) [/quote]
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    MatHammond wrote:
    Fair enough, don't RLJ when there are people crossing / waiting to cross or when there is other traffic coming. Otherwise, it remains a grey area. Next.

    Don't be a tw4t, fella. You're a proper rider. Set an example.
  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    Come on people, clearly it has to start with a consonant or it'd be 'an'.


    A Omelette?


    Tut tut.

    I thought I'd gotten away with that one...

    Re: The OP, your post really annoyed me for some reason. I think it must be because you equate an arsehole who flew through a red light straight into a pedestrian with *all* cyclists who might occasionally go through red including those who only RLJ when theres nobody around for miles. Perhaps I just don't like being made to feel like a hypocrite :P
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Sorry, are any studies done on whether cyclists run more red lights than motorists? Are you mental? I know it's an anecdote but in 10,000 odd miles of riding, I would say maybe 50% of cyclists RLJ to 1% of vehicles (amber is a different matter I accept). No, I don't have accurate figures, but I'd say it's safe to say cyclists RLJ approximately 5000% more than vehicles. Hope that helps.
  • W1
    W1 Posts: 2,636
    W1 wrote:
    Aidy wrote:
    rjsterry wrote:
    None of this makes it alright for cyclists to do it though, especially on ped crossings.

    Yeah, I don't disagree with this.

    I'm just a bit fed up with people villainising cyclists as red light jumpers, when all traffic does it.

    Lets be honest though - cyclists as a group do it more regularly (and more blatently) than any other group of road users.

    Realy ? :wink:
    Any studies dont on it ?

    the shear number of cars that speed through on an amber light ( or stop unless its unsafe to do so light) or run over in to a advanced stop lane ( again jumping a red light) i would be shocked if cyclists do it more often.


    The day people will stop running red lights is the day they dont think they are more inportant that any one else.

    also

    two wrongs dont make a _________

    Anthropomorphism of a ferrit to retell religous stories

    Yeah, I did a study yesterday and that revealed that, as a group, cyclists ran more red lights than any other group of road users.

    If we're going to argue for technicalities, a number of them also were in front of the ASL lines, so a technical RLJ.
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    hayesu wrote:
    [the shear number of cars that speed through on an amber light ]
    Yep - when have you heard complaints drivers of motorists/taxis/lorries ALL run red lights?
    [/quote]

    This, of course, is the problem.
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    I was stuck at a temporary traffic light for about 3 or 4 minutes once on a deserted road. It was obviously set up to detect cars, but for some reason didn't know that I was waiting. So I went through it, I could see the empty road in the opposite direction, so it was no more dangerous than going round a parked car. Other than that, I always wait.

    Also, there's a ped crossing near my office that I've seen ignored at least 3 times in the last 6 months, and I'm only within sight of it for a few seconds each day. It's right outside a school too. And just a few weeks ago me and my poor little 106 were almost squashed by a bus that flew through a definitely (no amber gambler) red light on a roundabout. Luckily I saw it coming and was able to stay out of it's way. Maybe there was a Speed style bomb onboard, but I imagine not.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    biondino wrote:
    MatHammond wrote:
    Fair enough, don't RLJ when there are people crossing / waiting to cross or when there is other traffic coming. Otherwise, it remains a grey area. Next.

    Don't be a tw4t, fella. You're a proper rider. Set an example.

    :lol: I'm actually pretty well behaved these days, but there are certain sets of lights where it just seems pointless to wait. Mostly I will though, but I'll then see loads of people cycle past me and I'll be thinking "what am I waiting for?" :?

    Back to the OP, I think you can reasonably separate riding like a tw*t from jumping red lights - you can do the latter without the former, but that is just my opinion.
  • davmaggs
    davmaggs Posts: 1,008
    I cycle in London and the number of bikes RLJing clearly outweights the number of vehicles it doesn't take a study to work that out its blatantly obvious and to say otherwise is some kind of silly pro-cyclist nonsense.

    A stroll around Wellington Arch, the path next to Green park or the canels around Islington quickly show why cyclists are disliked.

    Whilst people can try and justify it all they want the moment a pedestrian is on that crossing on pavement then you should stop what you are doing and give way. Unfortuntately it seems to me that people get so used to RLJing that they no longer even think that a pedestrian should walk in front of them.
  • mroli
    mroli Posts: 3,622
    Agree with above poster - cyclists who care about cycling should set an example. I don't RLJ - it saves me no time on my commute in the grand scheme of things and on a sportive you must obey the rules of the road.

    If you say "oh, I can RLJ a pedestrian crossing if no-one is there" then when do you draw the line? One person's opinion is subjective and the only objective criteria is to not jump red lights.

    Yes a motor powered vehicle/ped will jump a RL - but how does that make your own breaking of the law any better? "Sorry officer, I RLJ'd because everyone does".

    Ride properly and encourage other cyclists to do the same.

    I think it is laughable that someone will cover themselves in fluoro, lights, helmet etc and then RLJ. MTFU and obey the rules of the road - and that goes double to anyone who professes to "care" about cycling.
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Wasn't there a statistic about more cyclists being hit because cars were running red lights than as a result of themselves running the red? Personally I don't think it's a good idea, definitely when there's other road users about, but it would be interesting to know how much harm it actually causes.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."