Cyclist at Pedestrian Crossing

[grumpypedestrian]

First off I’m all for people cycling, it’s a great mode of transport.

Ive had yet another close encounter and narrowly avoided being hit by a cyclist. Is there an unknown rule that cyclists can go full speed through pedestrian crossings?

Ive experienced nearly being hit by cyclists going through red lights too.

Possibly the police have more pressing matters

My experience of London is that everyone is a lunatic. Motorists, cyclists, pedestrians. The worst though are e-scooters.

First of all, there is no unwritten rule that cyclists can jump lights or do things that cars and motorbikes are not allowed to do. However, with a vehicle running a red light or failing to stop at a crossing, as long as you are sharp witted enough to get their registration plate, you can actually report them for this sort of behaviour, but with cyclists there is nothing you can do, which is one of the reasons that the sort of behaviour you're talking about really winds me up OP.

And I don't think it's a matter of cyclists being more fundamentally inconsiderate than drivers. I think it's more that cyclists are more likely to assume that pedestrians will be able to manoeuvre around them and co-ordinate our movements with theirs

But isn't that pretty much the definition of inconsideration? Or entitlement anyway.

I think the issue is that SOME pedestrians (youngish, able-bodied, well-co-ordinated ones) can manoeuvre around a relatively slow cyclist, while some can't. While none can really manoeuvre around a car going at normal speed.

So I suppose it's very 'ableist' behaviour, rather than universally inconsiderate to all.

Maybe I'm just unlucky that all the pavement cyclists here are really fast...

Maybe I'm just unlucky that I see at least 10 cars jumping red lights every day on my commute to work

I admit I occasionally see car drivers speed up at the amber and go through just as it turns red or in the second after. I don't think I've ever seen a driver go through a red light deliberately that has been red a while and while pedestrians are half way across the road.
(I have seen drivers stopped at junctions where they've obviously looked at the wrong light that's turned green and moved off when they weren't meant to. Or drivers turn on a red when they should have waited for a turn filter light etc)

So the cars jumping red lights are OK because they're doing it safely?!

That should read 'safely'

Who said safely? No one should be jumping red lights. Its always unsafe. All of the situations of jumping red lights could cause accidents. But it is less likely if the light is turning red as you go over it than it is if its been red a while. This is because of the delay between one light going red and the next one going green. But of course it still isn't safe. The fact is if a car or bike go over just as it turns red while pedestrians are still on the pavement it is much less likely to kill anyone than if a car or bike go over while the pedestrians are half way across the road. And I've never seen a car do that. But I have seen many bikes do that. Maybe that's only because the cars are unable to swerve and manoeuvre round the people. Maybe the drivers really want to but don't want to plough anyone down or get caught by police. But cyclists will swerve round while shouting at pedestrians in the middle of zebra crossing or green man. This is my experience.

@Sigmama

The OP posted about a narrow miss with a CYCLIST not a car driver! Regardless of whether you encounter at least 10 or 100 drivers doing this daily, it does not excuse the cyclist in the OP. No one, drivers or cyclists, should be running red lights because it is dangerous! Are you suggesting that because you see so many cars jump lights (and I must admit, unless you are grossly exaggerating, then you do seem to be extremely unlucky to encounter so many on a daily basis), that people shouldn't be allowed to complain if they have a near miss with a cyclist as that's OK?

It's exceptionally rare for a cyclist to be "caught" since there's no register.

@TheGhostofLoganRoy it's extremely rare for motorists to be caught. Motorists fail to give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings all the time, virtually none of them will hear anything about it.

Why debate what motorists do wrong? The question here is about cyclists and their behaviour. If you want to debate the behaviour of motorists, set up a thread. Like I've said, I accept and agree that there is a huge problem with reckless driving and their disregard and downright aggressive behaviour towards cyclists. But that that fact doesn't make cyclists immune to criticism.

@Sigmama 😂 10 motorists jumping red lights a DAY? And only during your commute? How long is your bloody commute? I've been driving over a decade and don't think I've seen this more than once or twice in that whole time. Where on earth do you live?

@Everanewbie

It's because some cyclists on these threads take any criticism of a cyclist personally and immediately start trying to deflect the argument with the whataboutery comments. Some cyclists, like some drivers, are selfish and dangerous but there are some on this thread who just refuse to acknowledge that!

Yes, can confirm I see this happen about as often as Sigmama. Can add driving while looking at mobile phones to the list too. Some drivers are selfish and dangerous but there are some on this thread that refuse to acknowledge that!
But enough of the whataboutery...

@Noodlewave plenty of dangerous and selfish drivers out there, I come across at least one most journeys I take, but driving through red lights is never one of them and I have serious doubts that either of you see this as often as you're saying!

Why do you keep referring to "cyclists" as if they are one homogenous group. You tar us all with the same brush. It's not a hive mind, and most cyclists are law-abiding.

I should rephrase. The question here is about one particular cyclist and his/her behaviour. It was not my intention to imply that all cyclists are one homogenous group and all badly behaved, and I apologise that my wording was not precise enough.

My point here is that the behaviour of the cyclist described in the OP behaved in a dangerous manner, whether or not some motorists behave worse and or drive is a discourteous and even dangerous way toward cyclists. Her post was intended to start a conversation about her experience and whether others had experienced similar. To steer the conversation towards motorists and the old as time cyclists v motorists argument is not that conversation.

I think they mean the drivers that speed up as they approach and go through on the amber/ just turned red. I do see them fairly often I admit. It's often debatable whether they went through on red or amber. Occasionally on roads with higher speed limits its safer to keep going than slam your brakes on. Obviously in an ideal world everyone would be driving slow enough to stop in time. But if the limit is 40 then people will do 40.

I see it daily

YABU to attack all cyclists over one incident. Maybe I’ll post every time I have a near misss when cars drive through red lights or don’t follow the Highway Code and allow me to cross as a priority. Car drivers kill 5 people a day. Get some perspective

But the vast majority of cyclists I see, certainly in London. DO cycle like that. So clearly it's not just the odd bad apple.

Thank you. Unfortunately the use of "cyclists this" and "cyclists that" on social media (including by the OP) creates a them-and-us narrative, encouraging aggressive behaviour such as deliberate close-passing, use of the horn, tailgating and excessive use of the throttle. That's why posters have strongly challenged it. Bad road users are bad road users, whatever mode of transport they use, I doubt that the individual the OP saw drives his Audi with any more care for the rules of the road.

Other posters have tried to claim that cyclists are somehow exceptional for poor behaviour, it's only fair to be able to answer back and point out that other groups are just as bad.