Magistrate insanity

Blimey! I see several cars jump red lights several times a day.

When I'm on the motorbike, and waiting on a red, I have trained myself
to wait until green, *then* double check no-one's jumping the red
before proceeding. When I first started commuting through NW London
and around the home counties, I had several near misses as I'd gone
quickly on green, only to have some twat jump the red.

And it's definitely not an un-common occurrence.

 

It depends where you drive.
In Bristol and parts of London lights have a different meaning :-
Green = go
Yellow = hurry up
Red = just 3 more cars and/or turn right.
After that the cars stop but the cyclists just keep riding with their
eyes closed.

 

You are of one mind. Half a mind apiece

 

Yup, seems about right. A bit like the indicators on cars in Coventry
when I lived there a few years back. The indicator means "Look I just
turned left/right!"

 

I recall Melbourne being like that 25 years ago. Green - go, Yellow -
go faster, Red - first 10 seconds of; fucking floor it.

It was seriously that bad that my father came over and was driving us
somewhere and he started braking on a yellow. I had to tell him not to
or we'd get rear-ended.

The introduction of red-light cameras has stopped that, but it used to
be insane.

 

I know one set of lights on a dual (A64) where people go through late on the
red (at speed), other than that I very rarely see cars shooting the red. In
fact the only woeful driving I see with regularity is 'tards going too
slowly, causing the traffic to bunch and get reckless in passing.

 

No, they wait for a while before turning the other lights green.
They always did provide a small buffer (that's what the amber and
red/amber phases were for) but lately they've had so many RLJs that
they have had to give an even longer gap, with all lights standing at
red for up to 3 seconds. This has the detrimental effect of teaching
motorists that they can get away with jumping at least the first few
seconds of red.

Ah, never mind - it must be some other United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland that's had to extend the period during which all
lights are red because of the number of people who keep going after
the lights have changed.

The bike may lay down, but the rider usually ends up on the bonnet of
the car.
Getting hit from behind is by far the worst type of impact, in injury
terms.

And maximise the chance of a left turning motorist pulling up on my
right, to left-hook me as the lights change? No thank you.

Latest batch of UK government stats.

By being so cautious that they stay completely out of the path of
motor vehicles altogether?

 

Yeah, but you're in porridgewogland aintcha?

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

But one had better punctuation.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I had to swerve all over the road before I hit him. [1]

I sincerely hope you opened a window and laughed at them.

Just T-bone the cunts and get both your fet on the deck quickly. Then you
can just watch the carnage and pain.


[1] Jasper's insurance sketch.



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

That one on t' other side of Hadrian's wall.

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

They're the only camera's I've got any time for coz they really do seem to
be put up to improve safety. Not that I'm a safety nazi, of course, but
still. My dad got caught out jumping a red light (with a cam), but I said he
should be proud that he could jump *any-fucking-thing at his age.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

["Followup-To:" header set to uk.rec.cycling.]

Well, that was teh scheme the RAC (that well-known body of
lycra-loving cycling apologists) adopted in order to avoid catching
too many motorists. David is reporting how teh RAC decided to
undertake their count - I don't think he offered any opinion on
whetehr it was an appropriate definition.

regards, Ian SMith

 

That is Auvache you're replying to - he does what the **** he wants,
and don't you forget it

 

I was on the GN. And yes, I laughed.

 

But the car usually suffers less damage so there is an upside.

Proof that cyclists not only talk our of their arse they can also see
out of it.

 

I wish!

 

Move to a more roundabouty area.

Of course. Just one piece of in built training as a road user.

Just because something hasn't happened for a while doesn't guarantee it won't
happen again.

 

What, everywhere in the UK?

The time when both sets of lights are on red round here is approx 1 second.

Move to an area with better drivers. Complain to the police. Consider the
actions of cyclists jumping through red lights and not getting killed
broadcasts a message that if a slow bike can get away with it, a fast car is
much more likely to get away with it.

Morons will be morons whatever you do with them.

I'm impressed the way you've either done a survey of every single set of
traffic lights in the UK or have access to the settings for every single set
of traffic lights in the UK.

With their foot bent under the car, trapped by the bike, and the top half of
their leg and body bent the other way over the bonnet IWHT. Breaking a leg.

Cars approaching a junction should be slowing down, definitely slowing down
if the light is on red.

If you live in an area where they speed up when they see a red light, and
knowing this you still use a push bike, and ride slap bang in the middle of
the lane in their path, all I can deduce is you are suicidal.

Look out for indicators? Look at the drivers hands so you can see if they
start to turn left? Look at the drivers head to see if they look left for
parked cars / cars waiting to pull out of the junction? Look at the cars
front wheel to see if it is pointing left slightly? All very easy to do and
can be done when stationary or just setting off.

Yes, typing that into google or gov.uk is really going to help narrow it
down.

Please explain how the cyclist can see what path the vehicles are taking,
when said vehicles are behind them.

Alternatively please demonstrate cycling backwards all the time (so it is
possible to see the path the vehicles approaching from the rear are taking).

(I've used pushbikes with mirrors, I could see more in the reflections off
the chrome handlebars, i.e. the mirrors were worse than useless and that is
in the daytime)

 

That is Auvache you're replying to - he does what the **** he wants,
and don't you forget it
[/QUOTE]
And this is dynamo hansen - so clever he defies the laws of physics