Riding a push-bike through red lights

[rachelmonday1]

AIBU for calling out to a woman and politely telling her that riding her push-bike through a red light is not only illegal but also very dangerous. She very impolitely told be where to go, but being a motorist who is always trying to second-guess cyclists actions I felt it only right to make my point. I also cycle, so am not a selfish motorist or anything, just someone that knows that a cyclist will get physically hurt far more than the motorist, but the motorist will still suffer with having been involved in an accident. Views......

'Probably a good job I left that particular office as I'd taken to screaming 'RED LIGHT you bastard!' and pointing at the signals like a frothing, demented harridan every time one of the fuckers sped past me with a few millimetres to spare'

I do this too. I'm sure it doesn't make a jot of difference to the cyclist's attitude but it helps to set the rage free

Oh so it's 'safer' to jump red lights and sail through red lights and cycle on the pavement is it? Well BOO HOO! I'm a pedestrian and it sure as hell isn't any damn safer for me. I have almost been run over on several occasions by anti-social muppets speeding round corners on bikes, not slowing down for anyone, or sailing through red lights while pedestrians are trying to cross. Pedestrians have a right to go about their business safely too - I don't see why people who use wheels (whether 2 or 4) think they own the road/pavement.

And yes I do know that some pedestrians act like anti-social muppets - wandering out in front of traffic without a care in the world etc. There will be a place for them in the stocks too.

Had this as well this morning, waiting to cross, traffic lights go red, green man comes on, people start to cross. I saw the bike coming, and I just knew he was not going to stop, so held back the pram and dd. I did shout after him 'RED LIGHT YOU IDIOT', but don't think the twat even noticed He was lucky not to hit anyone (or be rammed by my tank of a pram).

Stupid. If you're on the road, whether on a bike or in a car, you have to obey the rules of the road. Loads of cyclists go through red lights, though. I very rarely see any stop for them.

Pulled up at a crossroads to turn right (and indicating) a cyclist squeezed past on the left hand side of me and sat to the left and slightly in front. As the lights changed and I pulled away the cyclist cut right in front of me by turning right also! He was very almost a very flat cyclist.

As a cyclist myself, I don't bother telling the idiots who jump red lights - they can kill themselves. It's the same if you had a go at a driver for jumping reds (two jumped reds infront of me today) - they get all shirty if you tell them.

Leave them too it. Plenty of road users jump lights - just look after yourself.

YANBU. I cycled to work this morning and a fellow cyclist jumped 2 red lights that I waited for. It's fairly easy to wait at red lights and still remain safe,

As for more women getting killed, well it's usually because they filter down the inside of large vehicles and are possibly less confident to filter down the outside, or even not go near large vehicles.

The golden rule is stay away from them at junctions ! If you can't see the driver, they can't see you.

Lorry blindspots - a bit staged, but you get the idea:

So, OP and all the other posters who think it's fine to call out to a cyclist breaking a traffic law even if she is at that particular time posing no threat to anyone, do you also call out to other people breaking laws? If so, then who else do you call out to? If it's just cyclists you correct, can you explain why? (I am seriously interested - not trying to be difficult). Should we all try harder to be unofficial traffic police? Should we flash drivers on phones? Should we take down registration numbers of illegally parked cars and report them?

YANBU to call out to a cyclist who went through a red light. I hate cyclists who do this as they give every other decent cyclist a bad name.

Have seen so many near-misses on my commute due to cyclists going through red lights. One near miss as one weaved through stationery traffic and zoomed straight through the zebra crossing when the lights were at red. Pedestrians crossing were furious and I wouldn't blame them except they gave me (who waited) angry glances too.

Some cyclists (same for some drivers) should not be on the road.

all the other posters who think it's fine to call out to a cyclist breaking a traffic law even if she is at that particular time posing no threat to anyone

Sorry, that doesn't make sense. No-one breaks a traffic law and can be utterly certain she's not posing a threat. That much is obvious.

No-one jumps a light thinking 'ooh, you know, I'm fairly sure I'm going to hit that pedestrian, but what the heck'. They all think they're posing no threat. Yet, sadly, we know that they are.

ProfPlum Yes. Yes I do.

People who litter, people who park in parent & child spaces with no children in tow, people who queue jump, people who drive like fuckwits (one of whom, who nearly mowed DD & I down on a crossing overtaking the stopped cars on the wrong side of the road, because obviously his journey was far more important than everyone elses, stopped his car and had the gall to tell me off for swearing (I called him a bloody idiot) in front a child!), the list goes on... :)

I think I'm just easily irritated...

TravelinColour no-one has said that, though.

The OP is castigating the one cyclist who did this to her, I am only complaining about the fuckwits I encountered on my daily commute. I cycle myself.

Don't try and make an argument when there isn't one, please...

It is a hard one.

I see lots of drivers on their phone and I do not call them out, mainly by fear they will take me out on my bike.

I see lots of cyclists on pavements but I do not call them out, whether I am cycling, walking or driving.

I stop at traffic lights and tut at cyclists who do not, but every time I stop when the light goes red, I wince at the thought that the car behind me may well decide to jump the light, and kill me in the process, because they thought I would jump the light too.

I would emcourage people to not have a us vs them attitude about cyclists/motorists/walkers.

It encourages excesses on everyone's part.

Remember our children are all likely to be on the road on a bike one day in their life.

I actually though that it was accepted that in certain situations it could actually be safer for a cyclist to carry on through red lights - I can't remember what the circumstances would be.

DH cycles in London every day and he feels that the most dangerous cyclists are the very timid ones, cycling along at a crawl. Tube strike days are really bad for this as inexperienced cyclists are all over the place (literally), though there is safety in numbers.

Until we are in a situation like the Dutch where most pedestrians are cyclists are motorists it's never going to be really safe, one group always thinks they trump another.

I think what upsets me most about these threads is the almost unquestioning assumption that the roads are there primarily for motor vehicles to use. It doesn't have to be that way, but I guess it's what people actually want. Everyone else to take a subservient position (pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders, whatever). When did it become so? Why do we let motor vehicles dominate our public space, sometimes our private space, too? How can this be desirable?

MrsOakenshield it is definately safer to skip red lights on occasion. Such as, when a cyclist is being tailgated up to light which has just turned amber, or if they need a bit of time to get up to speed at busy junctions as the lights change. I don't really care if this gets up peoples noses, getting home safely is far more important.

If someone breaks the law within earshot yup I'm likely to call them out on it - especially on the road. Whether that is a motorist or cyclist.

Those laws are generally there to make the road a safer place for everybody so twats who ignore them lose the moral high ground.

I'm not saying I'll go out of my way to jot down numbers & report(because rarely will that mean anything happens). But I'm the embarrassing mum who taps on the window of the dangerously parked parent picking up at school, will shout out to that person on their phone at the wheel, or tell off the cyclist on the pavement.

There are too many bad drivers & bad cyclists out there. If I can make just one think about what they are doing next time it's worth it.
(btw I don't think I'm above being told if I drive badly either)

I always think it's amazing that we have to renew our passport every 10yrs but effectively you take a test once and most people get to then drive (operate a scarily dangerous machine) for life. I would support sensible retesting, if it would make people use the roads better & lose some of their bad habits (use your bloody indicators!!!)

can't believe I typed stationery traffic

..or if they need a bit of time to get up to speed at busy junctions as the lights change.

eh?

I've done it once, when a chap in his mid-20s cycled through red on a pedestrian crossing and nearly knocked a child over. I was so incensed I actually cycled after him to reprimand him . . . and he actually apologised. I was quite surprised by that as anyone doing something wrong (when they know it) usually gets abusive when it's pointed out to them, however politely. You just have to hope the message starts to get through if it's pointed out often enough.

Red lights, I usually let go, but cycling the wrong way down a one-way street makes me crosser. I have been known to cycle straight at them and point out they're going the wrong way.

Botanicbaby - I just assumed they were delivering to Staples or Ryman's.

If a cyclist is taking primary position at a set of traffic lights, as they should, and a driver is sitting revving their engine behind them, as they do, it's better for a cyclist to anticipate the lights changing and get a few seconds to get up to speed rather than trying to accelerate with a car up their arse.