Stopping at Traffic Lights

monument

I would never say never, but I stop the vast, vast majority of the time.

el tonto wrote: »

...Then people wonder why motorists give us dogs abuse.

That's the very reason I stop even when I know it's safe to proceed.

blorg wrote: »

I generally will not break red lights- almost never. However I will sometimes (not always) take a left on red if it is clear. To be honest if I am waiting it is often just so I can feel good about my moral high ground, there is no other good reason for it. I think cyclists should be allowed take a left on red. Cars too if we were in a more civilised country. Will NEVER go through a junction on a red.

+1

Lumen wrote: »

Your distinction is arbitrary and illogical. From a legal perspective, breaking a red light means crossing the first line.

Why would you not turn right or go straight on a red if the junction was well sighted and the roads were empty?

A left turn could easily be seen as the safer than crossing the junction or taking a right turn.

It's can be done by motorists in the US (which is a right turn, of course), and it's why 'London mayor Boris Johnson wants legal left turn for cyclists at red lights' (he did not want cyclists to be able to break any lights in any direction as a lot of papers and sites miss-reported, in headlines or otherwise).

In saying that, however, I wouldn't advocate such unless there is a law in place to allow it.

Spore

What a bunch of freaking hypocrites! Break red lights? Hell yeah! All the fúcking time. Why wouldn't you? Gets you places quicker and pisses off motorists which is the whole point of cycling, right? Jesus Christ... grow a pair, the lot of you. ROAD RULES DONT APPLY TO CYCLISTS! Get used to it

tomc

Had a mate who lived in Paris for a few years and used to cycle out to EuroDisney in the dead of morning every day to work, he never considered red lights meants stop. One morning after proceeding up the one way street the wrong way and then braking a red light we was stopped by the Gendarme's who asked for his ID card. Having forgotten his ID card he was only able to show them his Eurodisney ID card which informed that he was also Irish which all seemed to amuse them! The Gendarme then explained in pidgin english 'Just beacuse you work for the mouse with big ears does not mean you can ignore the BIG red light' and they went off chuckling to themselves. CLASSIC

BeerNut

Spore wrote: »

What a bunch of freaking hypocrites! Break red lights? Hell yeah! All the fúcking time. Why wouldn't you? Gets you places quicker and pisses off motorists which is the whole point of cycling, right? Jesus Christ... grow a pair, the lot of you. ROAD RULES DONT APPLY TO CYCLISTS! Get used to it

"Road rules"? "Grow a pair"? Capital letters? I think you may be on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean.

I suggest cycling home.

Chips Lovell

Spore wrote: »

What a bunch of freaking hypocrites! Break red lights? Hell yeah! All the fúcking time. Why wouldn't you? Gets you places quicker and pisses off motorists which is the whole point of cycling, right? Jesus Christ... grow a pair, the lot of you. ROAD RULES DONT APPLY TO CYCLISTS! Get used to it

Mucco

I treat a lot of red lights as I would treat a stop sign. That is, stop if someone is coming, if not, go!

On a bike, it's very easy to get off, walk across the junction and then continue the ride. I would consider this pedantically obeying the rules, something I don't believe in.

M

Lumen

Mucco wrote: »

I treat a lot of red lights as I would treat a stop sign. That is, stop if someone is coming, if not, go!

That's a yield, not a stop.

A stop sign means "stop, and then go if it's clear".

blorg

Spore wrote: »

What a bunch of freaking hypocrites! Break red lights? Hell yeah! All the fúcking time. Why wouldn't you? Gets you places quicker and pisses off motorists which is the whole point of cycling, right? Jesus Christ... grow a pair, the lot of you. ROAD RULES DONT APPLY TO CYCLISTS! Get used to it

I don't exactly agree with your sentiment but I appreciate the manner of its expression

paulmcd1973

If the pedestrian lights are red and there are no pedestrians on them, I go through. For all junctions I stop on red. Lately I've started hearing a voice telling me that I should stop on all reds, but I just ignore the 3 year old.

Lumen

Spore wrote: »

What a bunch of freaking hypocrites! Break red lights? Hell yeah! All the fúcking time. Why wouldn't you? Gets you places quicker and pisses off motorists which is the whole point of cycling, right? Jesus Christ... grow a pair, the lot of you. ROAD RULES DONT APPLY TO CYCLISTS! Get used to it

Try as I might I cannot fathom why you underlined the 's'

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

Try as I might I cannot fathom why you underlined the 's'

It was probably to avoid Boards' profanity filter, although it seems to allow "pisses" fine. **** you need the accent on.

Ant

As a cyclist, I expect to have the same rights as other road users so it's only fair that I have the same responsibilities and I can't expect to be treated with respect if I disregard the protocols used by road users.

I only ever break red lights when I'm in a serious hurry and when it's completely safe to do so (9 out of 10 times, this would be turning left).

Interestingly, I find it's my male friends who also drive who tend to break the red lights. I sometimes feel like a bit of an eejit when I stop at the red lights and they go straight through. When I was younger I'd give in and follow them but now that I'm older and (hopefully) wiser, I'm happy to just wait there and practice my track-stand.

The worst red-light breaking incident I saw was a time I was waiting at a pedestrian crossing while I was working as a courier. Being paid piece rates tends to encourage breaking red lights but after a while you realise that at the end of the day the crap money you get for another drop or two isn't worth the risk to life and limb. Anyhow, another courier cycled through the red light pedestrian crossing, shouting at the pedestrians to get out of his way. Nobody was hurt but the mixture of ignorance, arrogance and aggression really annoyed me.

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

I usually cycle on the line separating the dual carriage way from the off ramp - from the beginning of it. (i.e. what your mate does)

I think technically you should be just to the right of the line, but usually I stay just to the left of it.

That way the faster moving traffic on the dual carriage way has more space, people turning off can see that I'm going straight, and there's usually plenty of space to overtake me on the inside.

once i get to the other side, I move over to the left as soon as it's safe. Usually immediately.

Ditto for me. I'd much rather that the motorists I'm sharing the road with see what I'm doing and are clear about my intentions.

Don't break red lights, except when the traffic loop doesn't detect me since I'm not cycling with enough metal.

thebullkf

seamus wrote: »

I was thinking about that today, they should have one of those really gorey, slow-mo ads. Like a guy on a rusty mountain bike, saddle too low, pedalling with his heels on the pedals and breaking his balls going as fast as he can using the small ring. Ped light goes red, mother pushes her pram out and then "Oh no", cue to slow-speed image of the guys face colliding with woman's, blood splattering from every orifice, cut to scene of devestation - guy lying 20m away with a clearly broken neck and arms, woman lying on the kerb with a split open head and the pram lying on it's side, a month-old baby left writhing in a puddle.


...I'll get me coat.

LOL...you're wasted on boards senor Barker:p

thebullkf

On the original topic I am amazed how many people have said they do not break lights. I don't either but it is just staggering how many I see doing it every day.[/quote]

beautiful....just beautiful.

NeilMcEoigheann

when you do stop at lights the guy on the rusty mtb with the flat back tyre passes and squeels to a halt just infront of you, thus meaning when the lights go green you have to pull into the car part of the road where the teenage girl in the red micra with clashing furry pink dice is insistant or eating your back wheel with bumper.

also while leaving dundrum the other day i approached a roundabout. according to my understanding left lane for turns 1 and 2 on the roundabout and right lane for turns 3+ so i was in the right lane for the 3rd turn and a woman drives up behind me i continue around the round about when i realise that she is trying to squeez her car up my inside as i try to turn off on the 4rd exit. i stop (heres where it ties into the thread) because a ped light goes red pretty girl crosses the road and then the woman pulls up beside me and infroms me that "your going to get yourself killed". has anyone else got this statement? it pissed me off quite profoundly.

petethedrummer

You should have thanked her for not killing you and apologised for holding her up for 10 seconds.

Peleus

NeilMcEoigheann wrote: »

when you do stop at lights the guy on the rusty mtb with the flat back tyre passes and squeels to a halt just infront of you, thus meaning when the lights go green you have to pull into the car part of the road where the teenage girl in the red micra with clashing furry pink dice is insistant or eating your back wheel with bumper.

cycled up to a traffic light where a guy on a mountain bike was waiting. It went green and he went off quite slowly. After a few cars i overtook him and 200m down the road stopped at the next lights. 10 seconds later yer man pulls in infront of me. So i think fair enough, ill overtake him again. This time he puts up a bit of a struggle. (ill go fast if you try to overtake me but wont if you don't)

Next lights he does the same thing so i let the guy go ahead of me waited for him to stop at the next red lights and stopped 100m short of the junction. took a big run up to the junction before the lights changed and as he takes off I shoot by him. didnt see him again.

Piercemeear wrote: »

Is it bizarre if you do it in a car?

is it bizarre if you do it on foot? touché...

Jawgap

I used to jump the odd red light - maybe a few more than the odd one......

Then I found this forum and found the light - and the light is not red, it's green!

It came down to one thing as articulated by some of more elder lemons on this board - do you want to be a POB or a cyclist; I decided on the latter and stopped breaking red lights, even pedestrian lights!!

And for that I was rewarded........

It's quite self-satisfying to sit at a red light and have a POB / Summer Cyclist, zip through and define themselves as an RLJ. Then when the lights turn green to sprint after them before subjecting them to various cycling tortures.

My current favourite is to cruise up behind them then move out slightly so I'm in their peripheral vision then very gradually start upping the pace so they start pushing themselves faster and faster to stay in front!!

LittleGemma

Jawgap wrote: »

It's quite self-satisfying to sit at a red light and have a POB / Summer Cyclist, zip through and define themselves as an RLJ. Then when the lights turn green to sprint after them before subjecting them to various cycling tortures.

My current favourite is to cruise up behind them then move out slightly so I'm in their peripheral vision then very gradually start upping the pace so they start pushing themselves faster and faster to stay in front!!

WOW. You are so "out there".

I bet you really cut loose on a Friday night.

And old saying "you mind your business, I'll mind mine".

Gavin

LittleGemma wrote: »

And old saying "you mind your business, I'll mind mine".

WOW. Only one post and it's hypocritical. Good start, welcome to boards.

Lumen

Jawgap wrote: »

It came down to one thing as articulated by some of more elder lemons on this board - do you want to be a POB or a cyclist; I decided on the latter and stopped breaking red lights, even pedestrian lights!!

And for that I was rewarded........

It's quite self-satisfying....

(a very big with that)

Jawgap

LittleGemma wrote: »

WOW. You are so "out there".

I bet you really cut loose on a Friday night.

And old saying "you mind your business, I'll mind mine".

I do actually cut loose on a Friday night - I get all excirrah lubing my chain and de-stretching my lycra before settling down with a few digestives, a cup of cocoa and the Late Late......

It's none of my business if people break red lights, and if they are silly enough to try and out pace me when I spin up behind them that's none of my business either.......but it's nice (if somewhat immature) to delight in their increasing discomfort as their competitive spirit exceeds their cycling ability.

Jawgap

Lumen wrote: »

(a very big with that)

you forgot to add "smug"!!:p

Poor Uncle Tom

Jawgap wrote: »

My current favourite is to cruise up behind them then move out slightly so I'm in their peripheral vision then very gradually start upping the pace so they start pushing themselves faster and faster to stay in front!!

Yeah, I do that in the car, lots of fun.
signed...Christine.

Raam

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Yeah, I do that in the car, lots of fun.
signed...Christine.

that must tire your foot out though.

MB Lacey

If it's red and I can safely turn left I'll break the red.

If it's a pedestrian and the walker is already across I'll set off before the red turns back to green.

So yes I do break red lights but never if it puts my safety or would give someone a scare.

I don't cycle around like I own the roads but I'm not an angel at red lights either.

Cabaal

When I used to cycle to work the only time I used to break traffic lights is when I was turning left and it was completely dead with no car in sight as far as the eye could see.

Otherwise I always stop

Hungrycol

Going through a red light is my reward for not contributing to CO2 emissions.

I brake them, I'm happy. No self-righteous RLS have ever caught up with me either, not on my commute, although I rarely meet any cyclists (POB or otherwise) on my commute anyway.

Would hate to be stopped at a red light with a truck behind me or to my right. Those driver can't see nowt from their cabins at close proximity.

(RLS - Red Light Stopper)

blorg

blorg wrote: »

On the red light thing, I would think in the sense of Kant's categorical imperative the rule "allow cyclists to turn left on red when safe to do so" could be applied universally... It could even be applied to cars although I am not sure that would work in this country given the driving standard.

For those unfamiliar with it...... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_on_red (this would translate as 'Left on red' on our roads).

Edit: I get the RLS and RLJ business, what is a POB?

BeerNut

Deleted User wrote: »

what is a POB?

Person/Pedestrian on a Bicycle.

petethedrummer

Though I'm mostly an obeyer of lights, I often wonder if there were no cars and trucks, would there be any traffic lights?

Caroline_ie

petethedrummer wrote: »

would there be any traffic lights?

some people think they're useless

petethedrummer

Yeah I've seen that. I've also seen evidence of that sort of thing around Dundalk when lights fail. Traffic moves much smoother and more civilised.

Poor Uncle Tom

petethedrummer wrote: »

..I'm..an obeyer of lights,

New Religion..?

Civilian_Target

NeilMcEoigheann wrote: »

....so i was in the right lane for the 3rd turn and a woman drives up behind me i continue around the round about when i realise that she is trying to squeez her car up my inside as i try to turn off on the 4rd exit. i stop (heres where it ties into the thread) because a ped light goes red pretty girl crosses the road and then the woman pulls up beside me and infroms me that "your going to get yourself killed". has anyone else got this statement? it pissed me off quite profoundly.

Yeah, it's like those drivers that come up along side you to go "There's a cycle lane over there." Obviously you've never tried it though, good sir!