Ok I'm gonna light the touch paper and stand well back. I have to admit that I've jumped a few red lights in my day.Only when I'm absolutely sure it's safe to do so.I feel in certain situations it's acceptable ie when cycling up a hill and a pedestrian crossing has a red light but there's nobody crossing. I'm guessing I may be the only one on here that thinks this way though.........please don't hurt me. I have to say that I've been cycling in edinburgh for 23 years some of that time profesionaly and only ever had 2 serious accidents. 1 caused by a pedestrian running out into traffic without looking and another caused by a car driving straight into me across a junction without looking.......I always look. let the rotten fruit fly!!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Red Light Jumping...we've all done it right?
(13 posts)-
Posted 15 years ago #
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Hmmm, I've done it in a car when I've been as close as I can be to 100% sure the lights are stuck/broken, and I've done it on a motorbike when the sensor thing only picks up cars and larger and I couldn't be bothered waiting for a car to come along and trip the change.
I've even been done for it about midnight one Sunday years ago in a car when I am positive I was innocent, but the two gentlemen in the panda car disagreed and looked extremely smug in the process of giving me a fixed penalty. I've often wondered what the background to that was... I was working full time as a courier so therefore almost by default guilty of traffic infractions every day, so I don't complain really about the ticket, I'm quite sure I deserved something on balance over my time at that job(!)
Bicycles? Well I've pushed ambers, but I don't remember jumping a red (death sentence that, pound to a penny someone with a better memory than me will be along in a minute saying "but I remember the time you..." :-o
I do now make a concious effort not to do it as it's just more ammunition for the bigots, same way all my powered bikes now have quiet exhausts (and extremely loud horns ;-) ) That said, when the mood takes me and I'm in a hurry I do still quite enjoy carving heavy traffic... that probably makes me a bad person too :-/
Posted 15 years ago # -
I fully apreciate the bigot/ammo thing and as a father of 2 I am alot more careful than I was in the past.Although on a bike I feel alot more aware of my surroundings than in a car or motorbike. In my courier days though the words red light weren't even in my vocabulary.I used to turn my bag back to front so that people couldn't see who I worked for........eeek!!
Posted 15 years ago # -
Oh I stopped for red lights ok, but I also ran for over a year with a broken speedo cable.... (where's the emoticon for embarrassed?). I used to always have the work logo visible so people would just notice that* and not really be able to describe me though, and whenever I was asked I was nowhere near the complainants location....
*Always amazed me, people very often pick an obvious identifier and don't remember anything else about someones appearance. For example, think of the last policeman/soldier/traffic warden you met, could you with confidence; state their height, their general build, their hair colour, describe their face? Most people will struggle with these or take guesses, some honestly don't even realise they are guessing to fill in the gaps.
I have often heard "your *** driver cut me up!" "can you describe him Sir?", "Yes he was from your company and... on a bike... and.... erm..."Posted 15 years ago # -
I used to come out of St BErnards Well / Water of LEith dead end for cars at Stockbridge, a tricky spot for the cyclist going straight ahead with the green light as the cars turning right can ignore you. I therefore went when the pedestrian green man turned off, this is followed very quickly by amber, but technically I have jumped a red. I have had two near misses with cyclists turning right coming the other way, downhill from town who are clearly jumping a red in a kamikaze manner. My point being that what you think is safe is dependent on everyone else following the rule you are bending/breaking. Works the opposite way too - I'm not following the highway code as nobody else does. I am therefore conscious of the shocking example I used to set when I exited from St BErnards Well
Posted 15 years ago # -
Yeah abit like this?
Posted 15 years ago # -
Jumping red lights is as bad as cycling on the pavement. People who cycle on the pavement or jump lights should be popped into a cauldron of soup and boiled for a few hours at a medium temperature before being seasoned and fed to crocodiles.
Posted 15 years ago # -
@recombodna - I have most of these public info films in my head (Reginald Molehusband, Charlie Says, And Do YOU Know Who It Was? Our Dad In A New Car, Petunia, And if you can swim yourself). There wasn't much on telly when I were a lad. My favourite, which I can recite virtually verbatim without googling being There I Was Thinking As Usual ABout Dave..
It would seem that most things in the 1970s you had to watch out for involved bad driving (also not being able to swim, stranger danger and the odd chip pan fire).
@davidmhodgey - the punishment seems light
Posted 15 years ago # -
@gembo My fave was the one about polished wooden floors and rugs. 'and to think he'd just come from the hospital'. Funny how the gvernment doesn't feel that that's a danger any more.
@davidmhodggey My 7 year old cycles to school evey morning onthe pavement what type of seasoning would you recomend for her?
Posted 15 years ago # -
@recombodna I think you'd have to be a very mean chef to cook a 7 year old! There would obviously have to be an age limit before they get the pot.
In all seriousness, it's a very interesting point. At what age should children be expected to follow the rules when the rules will no doubt have an adverse effect their safety?
I wouldn't expect a 7 year old to have the required awareness and experience to tackle Edinburgh's roads. As a pedestrian I don't think anything of children cycling about on the pavement.
Grown men and women; that's a different matter altogether... They'd get microwaved!
Posted 15 years ago # -
Sir Isaac Newton told us why.....
Posted 15 years ago # -
I think they get cycling proficiency in p7? I haven't seen an adult cycling on the pavement for a long time now I come to think of it.
My personal fave is
Posted 15 years ago # -
P6 for cycling proficiency last year at my eldest's school - done in class time etc - taken seriously by all. Used to be P7.
Only one hard hat in the entire film and that was the builder's.Posted 15 years ago #
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