Jumping lights

[fanievb]

i was robbed, i stopped at robots at 5am in the morning...

 

since then, i do as it is safe to do, and as most stated above, if I have a clear view of the the roads leading into the intersection i proceed.

 

 

when I feel unsafe I don't stop, even especially when I'm in my car.

 

check left and right and go

[Skubarra]

I skip the light if say the road T's in from the right and there's a big enough yellow line so I'm not in anybodies way. But I almost never cycle on the road.

What I don't get is if there is a big yellow/cycle lane why do some guy's still cycle in the road?

 

I will be a hypocrite if I tell you I never ever do the same thing....

 

but

 

I do think it is a slippery slope when we decide for ourselves which traffic rules apply to us and which we can just ignore. Like Vetseun says we can't criticise others if we are not blameless ourselves.

 

Also remember when you do that, the motorists that stopped and obeyed the red light will see a cyclist jumping a red light and not "someone who crossed an intersection because it was safe to do so".

 

Also a car turning into the intersection might be taken by surprise by you rushing by in the yellow lane because they didn't expect someone jumping the red light. What if that car was speeding slightly or it is a truck taking a wide turn and suddenly need to use that fat yellow lane that you thought was empty no-mans land? First example is something that happened to me once while cycling, got some choice words of abuse from the lady in the car which in hindsight was probably justified.

[ChrisF]

Interesting feedback ....

 

Clearly the motorcyclists among us have learnt to "ride-to-survive" ....

 

1) Obey the rules

2) DONT pull away at a green light - CHECK, and check again before cycling away....

3) and most importantly - learn to read the traffic .... others wont obey the rules and need to be ready to get out the way ....

 

 

It is NOT about "being right", it is all about surviving out there !!

 

BUT, when you (as a cyclists) do something different to survive ... do it in such a way that you dont tarnish the image of cyclists.  In the afternoon commute I cycle 50m on the pavement, stopping to give way to pedestrians !  This happens to be the safest option for me in the afternoon, but that does mean that I do it at a crawl, and give others right of way.

[Vetplant]

Wish I had a dashcam... saw one of the metro police vehicles here in PE inching across a red traffic light until it was almost halfway across the road. Eish!

https://www.wish.com/search/dashcam/product/5adda07676d0847f8725ba16?&source=search

[bikebloke]

Mocking those who try to do good is not cool.

coming on a cycling forum to whine about other cyclists is also not cool ( not sure how being judgy is good but ok)...but this is bikehub.co.za ..its full of this stuff 

[ChrisF]

....

 

I do think it is a slippery slope when we decide for ourselves which traffic rules apply to us and which we can just ignore. Like Vetseun says we can't criticise others if we are not blameless ourselves.

 

Also remember when you do that, the motorists that stopped and obeyed the red light will see a cyclist jumping a red light and not "someone who crossed an intersection because it was safe to do so".

...

 

YES to stopping at robots and stop signs

 

But, after stopping, I do "prefer" to ride on when it is SAFE to do so.  Which sometimes means proceeding over a red robot, sometimes it means that I wait some time after the light has turned green ... my preferance is to proceed while the lights are going orange on the other side - IF there is no traffic from the side.

 

 

VERY slippery slope indeed ! !

[ChrisF]

coming on a cycling forum to whine about other cyclists is also not cool ( not sure how being judgy is good but ok)...but this is bikehub.co.za ..its full of this stuff 

 

HEY, this is da HUB afterall ....

 

Today I ride that slippery slope ...

 

Tomorrow I b!tch when some soul on a bike dare "own the lane" ....

[Dirkitech]

https://www.wish.com/search/dashcam/product/5adda07676d0847f8725ba16?&source=search

lovely wordplay

 

coming on a cycling forum to whine about other cyclists is also not cool ( not sure how being judgy is good but ok)...but this is bikehub.co.za ..its full of this stuff 

I'd be glad to see some constructive discussions or opinions from your side. If sarcasm is your only weapon it'll become ineffective very quickly. No comic sans because I'm not sarcastic, would really be happy to hear your honest point of view amongst the rest!

 

As for my own, I also slow down to a track stand, do my safety checks then continue through on red if it is safe to do so, but never a right turn through a stop/red light.

My reasoning is that my risk of something negative happening is less likely passing through a stop or red (safely), as opposed to being a sitting duck.

 

Of course, it doesn't make it right, but like ChrisF mentioned before, it isn't about being right and wrong anymore as much as it is about surviving all of it.

 

Edit: knew I should have chimed in at the 3rd post this morning, this bandwagon was set for a cruisin'

[RocknRolla]

I have difficulty jumping kerbs, never mind the height of a red light. maybe if the red light was laying on the kerb...

[Chingy182]

I think there needs to be some sort of law on us cyclists on the roads.

Even if we have to enforce it upon ourselves.

Or just reach some sort of agreement about cycling behavior on the roads.

 

Same reason we have traffic laws, it helps motorists to better anticipate and engage with other road users and it makes for safer roads (in theory when speaking of SA).

 

It makes for a tricky situation when one cyclist stops at the red light and the other guy goes flying over the red light. It makes it absolutely impossible to anticipate cycling behavior and will require motorists to take each cyclist on an individual level when gauging their actions.

 

I found this frustrating recently when cycling with the girlfriend where I enter a roundabout to take the right exit with her on my tail. I enter the lane, put my arm out to indicate our turn, etc. only to find her standing at the point of entry, waiting for ALL the cars to ride first before she went around.

 

I just felt like the next time this situation presents itself, the motorists who were there will have no idea as to what to expect from cyclist or even expect them to stop, etc.

Possibilities are endless.

[Dirkitech]

Actually forgot I wanted to share an incident this morning. So Heidelbergweg going towards M2. A black vehicle, all alone, crosses the red light going South. About as soon as the black vehicle finishes crossing the red light intersection, a white vehicle crosses the red going North, departing from a whole bunch of cars. Surprisingly, a metro double cab in the far left going north, goois a u turn around the whole front row and starts chasing down the first offending vehicle in black.

I've seen selective pull overs from metro of red light jumpers around empire as well, but usually only offending cars, never a taxi.

[Dirkitech]

Oh and in response to the mentions of safe red light crossing being made legal:

2015, Paris to allow cyclists to skip red lights - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11728098/Paris-to-allow-cyclists-to-skip-red-lights.html

2018, Colorado state considers new law to allow cyclists to ride through red lights when safe - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/us-state-considers-new-law-allow-cyclists-ride-red-lights-improve-safety-369160

 

edit: links weren't showing completely, added descriptions.

[DieselnDust]

I think there needs to be some sort of law on us cyclists on the roads.

Even if we have to enforce it upon ourselves.

Or just reach some sort of agreement about cycling behavior on the roads.

 

Same reason we have traffic laws, it helps motorists to better anticipate and engage with other road users and it makes for safer roads (in theory when speaking of SA).

 

It makes for a tricky situation when one cyclist stops at the red light and the other guy goes flying over the red light. It makes it absolutely impossible to anticipate cycling behavior and will require motorists to take each cyclist on an individual level when gauging their actions.

 

I found this frustrating recently when cycling with the girlfriend where I enter a roundabout to take the right exit with her on my tail. I enter the lane, put my arm out to indicate our turn, etc. only to find her standing at the point of entry, waiting for ALL the cars to ride first before she went around.

 

I just felt like the next time this situation presents itself, the motorists who were there will have no idea as to what to expect from cyclist or even expect them to stop, etc.

Possibilities are endless.

 

 

As cyclists we are also governed by the National Road Traffic Act (Act 93:1996). The Western Cape has an additional by-law to include the 1m rule which is also under consideration for inclusion into the National Act.

 

the law actually caters for us very well. The problem is very very few people actually know what the Act says in terms of operating a vehicle on the roads!

 Ask a motorist why they hog the right hand lane. Most will tell you its because the law says you have to give drivers on the on ramps right of way. Of course this is complete hogwash but It talks to the ignorance of South African drivers.

 

As cyclists we're often not much better since I very very seldom see anyone using hand-signals when out riding their bikes.

 

the underlying problem though is lack of proper enforcement will always lead to ineffective and chaos.

Before the Netherlands had all those beautiful and effective rules of the road for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles they also went through nearly a decade of increasing fatalities among children due to collisions with speeding vehicles.

 

Without law enforcement no rule will ever work.

[stefmeister]

I have difficulty jumping kerbs, never mind the height of a red light. maybe if the red light was laying on the kerb...

Just ride around Brackenfell on a weekend morning. Plenty of traffic light poles lying around from the previous night.

[BMXER]

Been is Aus for 3 years. Can't say when last I saw anybody run a light.

 

Nor a burglar guard...

Nor an Chubb response vehicle.

 

 

Better stop, getting home sick (gastro)

[Albatross]

Red lights are for practising track stands