to want to throttle cyclists who run red lights?

[Millionprammiles]

Just that really. Am sick of dd being narrowly missed when crossing at a green man (outside a primary school ffs) . Small children are especially at risk as cyclists can't see them when they're coming up on the inside of cars, so they assume its clear.
Not one cyclist has stopped to apologise.

I can't take a licence plate number. Unless one of them actually hits her I'm guessing the police won't be interested in looking at CCTV. Which is why cyclists continue doing it, day after day.
I think I'm in danger of running after one of them and pushing him off his bike.
(And yes its always been a male cyclist).

I can assure you that the number of motor vehicles who go through red lights (properly, not just as they change) way outnumbers the number of cyclists who do it.

So what? This was specifically about specific incidents involving cyclists. How are the actions of drivers elsewhere in the country relevant?

SoupDragon, I was just about to post the very same thing - so what? Lots of pedestrians act like arseholes and march out in front of traffic - I see it with my own eyes every single day. Disgraceful and dangerous behaviour but again - so what? This thread is about cyclists - what other road users do or don't do is a separate issue

Just because dangerous cycling is less of a problem in terms of prevalence and resulting injuries, does not mean that nothing should be done about dangerous cycling. Unfortunately it is a real balancing act between implementing policies that would make cyclists more accountable and not discouraging people from taking up what is for the most part a healthy, environmentally sound and accessible means of transport/past time. As always when this issue arises, the only solution that would please everyone would be to invest in much better infrastructure for cyclists - but that's just not going to happen.

I was run over by a cyclist when pregnant. The bastard worked in the same building as us. Apparently the cycle path took a minute longer so him putting my baby's life at risk by going stupidly fast on a pavement was Ok. I've never been hit by a car on a pavement however.

I'm a cyclist and it really annoys me when other cyclists jump red lights. Why is it worth endangering pedestrians to get to your destination a whole minute or two sooner? (To be fair most cyclists I see don't do this, but there are always the few idiots.)

I don't see how putting number plates on bikes would stop this, though. Cars all have number plates, and it doesn't stop lots of drivers sitting in the cycle box at junctions, even though that counts as crossing the stop line on red. Too many road users just don't take minor traffic offences seriously, and there isn't the infrastructure setup in place to make them.

Interesting to see the "yes, but what about them" excuse has been dragged out again

Somehow it seems to be part and parcel of the "you can't touch us" mentality of some cyclists, which I agree is made worse by the lack of identification. I also wonder just how many have proper insurance against third party damage, injury and so on

Oh and in case anyone wonders, I'm a cyclist myself

One of the problems is that some cyclists actually find it defensible, I've seen far more cyclists than motorists run red lights on pedestrian crossings.

I'm 8 months pregnant and often have cyclists running the red lights as I'm waddling across the road, then having to jump to dodge them speeding at me. It may be my pregnancy rage speaking but in those moments if I had anything heavy be it a ball/brick...I would hurl it after them.

Saying that I dont cast them all with the same stone. DH is a MAMIL and a pretty decent/serious cyclist and he also gets Pd off with poor cycling behaviour too, so I know its not all of them.

53rdAndBird

I can see your point about license plates not necessarily discouraging cyclists from going through red lights, on to pavements etc. But in cases like the one earlier when the cyclist deliberately rode her bike into a family - the license plate would have provided her with information to report to the police. As it was, she did not report because all she could tell them was she was attacked by a woman on a yellow bike. She knew that there was very little that could be done.

So there is a bit of a vicious cycle forming here. There is an argument that due to the small numbers of reported accidents/injuries caused by bikes there is no need to make them identifiable, but without anything to make them identifiable there is no point in reporting any incidents - which means that really there is no way to accurately measure their prevelance.

I'm a cyclist and I cycle to work most days a week. I stop at red lights as do the majority of the other commuter cyclists on my route. It breaks my heart when a cyclist passes by me whilst I'm waiting at a red light as I know their actions will enable numerous cyclist bashing threads such as these.

On the same commute I'm passed by 100s of cars. Maybe 1 or 2 give me adequate passing room. I've lost count of the cars that turn in front of me, cutting me up. I'm ridiculously grateful when a car driver pays attention to the Highway Code.

Investment in sustainable transport is as vital as educating all road users on mutual respect.

But that cyclist was on a Sustrans path, not a road, so presumably road laws wouldn't apply? Or we'd end up having discussions about whether all pedestrians should have number plates to identify them in cases of assault on other pedestrians/cyclists/whoever...

(That was to Crabbitface, I typed too slowly!)

Oh look, someone else trying to detract from twattish cyclists by dragging irrelevant car drivers into it

I try to defend cyclists at every chance I get but even this takes the mick. It doesn't matter whether you are in a car, on a motorbike or riding a bike, when the lights go onto red you stop.

That doesn't take away from my point 53rd? The point being that if no one can identify a cyclist then there is no point in reporting incidents. If incidents are not reported then people can say "Well there are very few incidents so we don't need to be identifiable". This can be on a road, on a sustrans path, or on a pavement.

SoupDragon If it's any consolation, many cyclists hate the whataboutery every bit as much; it just causes resentment and gets the rest of us a bad name

Incidents do get reported. A little while back near where I live, Cyclist A pushed Cyclist B into a canal - incident reported, incident ended up in court, Cyclist A fined (and rightfully so).

But, pedestrians have pushed cyclists into canals, too. If all pedestrians had number plates when out it would make those incidents much easier to report, for sure! And yet, we don't generally think (I assume?) that it would be sensible to make pedestrians wear number plates, just because of the benefit in those few cases.

Cars have to have number plates because they are capable of causing much more damage than a cyclist, or a pedestrian, or a horse. That doesn't mean cyclists and pedestrians and horse riders don't ever cause damage at all, just that they are a lot less dangerous to other road users than motorised vehicles are.

(If there were traffic cameras on every red light and universal enforcement of traffic laws I'd be a lot more on board with the idea of cyclist number plates, but I don't see that happening any time soon.)

many cyclists hate the whataboutery every bit as much

Oh, I know. Its just ridiculous. No one goes on a dog bite thread and says "oh but look at what tigers do! Vicious buggers those tigers, they'd rip you to shreds, not just bite you..."

Cars have license plates because they, and drivers, have to seek permission, demonstrate some level of fit-for purpose and be licensed to use the road, unlike pedestrians, cyclists and riders to have a right to use the toad.

To the OP: I feel for you, have you reported this behaviour to the local police - you never know they might actually do something about it?

All cyclists are hazards unless using designated cycle lanes. I consider myself a competant and safe driver however every bloody day I notice the cyclists waiting to cause nasty accidents.

OTOH 90% of motorists ignore the 'cycle box' markings near traffic lights. Just as bad as cyclists jumping red lights.

Competent

I get sick of the ones who sneak up on the left hand side, I deliberately stop as close to the kerb as possible when waiting at lights now, to stop the buggers.
Always give plenty of room etc when passing cyclists so take hum bridge when they then don't pay attention to the rules of the roads themselves.

Coteforpedr0 Cyclists are not "hazards". They are human beings, who have as much right to use the public highway as you do. And if you have forgotten that, then frankly you are not a "competent and safe driver".

For the record, I live very, very close to a pedestrian crossing. Car drivers routinely jump the lights - I see them as I pull out of my driveway every morning. And it's outside a school. Where a child was knocked down and disabled very recently.

So the comparison with the behaviour of car drivers is extremely relevant and has nothing to do with tigers .