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).

Has anyone on this thread defended cyclists going through red lights?

Well, there are certainly some who have ignored it and simply bleated on about car drivers doing it, ignoring the whole point of the thread entirely.

I'm baffled why it matters one jot how many kids are killed by cars versus cyclists

You started this thread, ostensibly, to complain about your child being endangered. However, you seem very reluctant to consider what is actually likely to kill her. I suspect you simply wish to rehearse some unpleasant fantasies about attacking cyclists.

You started this thread, ostensibly, to complain about your child being endangered

Endangered in a specific incident involving a cyclist not a car. All the cars had stopped. Those cars posed precisely zero risk to her DD at that time. The cyclist did not.

Well, there are certainly some who have ignored it and simply bleated on about car drivers doing it, ignoring the whole point of the thread entirely

But the thread already includes lots of people bleating on about other grievances they have against cyclists. You can't really say "this thread is about cyclists jumping red lights, therefore it's fine to talk about cyclists doing other stuff, but not to talk about other people jumping red lights."

If this thread was really designed to invite people to agree with the proposition that cyclists shouldn't jump red lights then fine, I think we can all agree: cyclists, like other road users, should obey the law. But, actually, as I said in my first post, the thread is actually about demonising cyclists.

It's really not. In much the same way that an AIBU about a dickhead husband is not a thread about demonising men.

acasualobserver and 53rd what do you suggest could be done to stop or reduce anti-social and dangerous cycling?

You need a long umbrella to whack them with if they speed through while pedestrians are crossing on a green man. I used to work in Islington and pretty much no cyclist stopped at a big junction, and many of them shouted at pedestrians to jump out of the way as they sped through the red light.

A long golf umbrella was useful in batting any that tried to do this to me.

It's really not. In much the same way that an AIBU about a dickhead husband is not a thread about demonising men.

Bollocks. Read the OP's comments: she is generalising from the specific in order to ascribe negative characteristics to cyclists in general. The purpose of the thread is to slag off cyclists and invite others to do the same.

the thread is actually about demonising cyclists.

Only in your head.

TBH, this proves my long held belief that you aren't allowed to criticise cyclists on MN. If you do, someone will be along to accuse you of being a bike hater. You proved this in less than an hour from the first post.

It's pointless trying to air any kind of grievance with cyclists on MN.

in order to ascribe negative characteristics to cyclists in general.

Yes, that must be why, in the thread title she wants to throttle cyclists who jump red lights and talks about her experience at a specific crossing.

Bollocks.

what do you suggest could be done to stop or reduce anti-social and dangerous cycling?

Better cycling infrastructure. Have space on the road for bikes to be, which keeps them separate from the pedestrians and the cars. Seems to work in countries with more cycling. Also more free/subsidised cycle training, like some of the London councils do. Also more traffic police out there handing out on-the-spot fines, for all road users breaking the law, on two wheels or four. (Or one - I've seen unicyclists round here!)

Sounds like there's quite a bit "in your head" too.

Not going to engage in any constructive discussions about potential solutions then?

We were almost knocked over one day (not the only one) by a courier going hell for leather over a pedestrian crossing (green man). He was a blur, came out of nowhere and swerved around me and DS - we felt the draft as he went.

The fact is that I always look because I've lived in London long enough but this guy must've broke the land speed record to get to us so fast. I was too shocked to swear at the bugger remonstrate with the chap.

It he had hit me it would have been bad, bit if he had hit DS, who was 3 at the time, he would've killed him. People came running up becase they were so shocked.

One crossroads near our old school is called 'murder corner'. Fantastic for bikes - landes, lights and filters but the cyclists still zoom through red lights and swerved around the kids.

It's worse now with the Boris bikes - loads of wobbly tourists on the footpaths. I am dreading the bloody cycle superhighway which will go past our flat.

53rd Couldn't agree more re. infrastructure. Spent some time in Denmark and LOVED being able to cycle safely most places away from cars and people. Also love the idea of cycle training - I think some schools up here still do proficiency training but i do think more extensive training is required.

Hmmm bloody unicyclists ... think they own the road

For the record, cyclists injure almost as many pedestrians as cars: in 2012, cyclists injured 21 pedestrians per billion km travelled, whilst cars injured 24. (Source: The Times)

Not going to engage in any constructive discussions about potential solutions then?
No, not in a thread like this.

A lot of cyclists are appallingly self-righteous.

*what do you suggest could be done to stop or reduce anti-social and dangerous cycling?

Better cycling infrastructure. Have space on the road for bikes to be, which keeps them separate from the pedestrians and the cars*

Totally agree. The MAMILs would still refuse to use it though because they need to practice for their triathlons and it would never do if eg my son and I were on the cycle path doing say 12mph and they wanted to speed through at 20ish mph. So they would still insist on going on the roads. Even where there are already safe off-road cycle paths locally with no broken glass etc they still won't go on them. Far too much fun to annoy the car drivers (and when they're in their big Chelsea tractors they'll annoy cyclists and pedestrians. Pillocks).

A lot of motorists (insert pedestrians/ astronauts etc) are appallingly self-righteous.....

If you take a two ton car and have no regard for what you do with that machine whilst texting or surfing the net then it's murder, the same goes for cyclist if they kill whilst riding with total disregard for others it's murder