i value my skin & my life far too much to risk jumpiong red lights or to be an amber gambler!.
have been hit from behind on a road island in broad daylight and another time a boyracer shot out from my left as he failed to stop at the T junction and claimed he did not see me!,it was broad daylight!,i wore bright yellow windjacket and it still did not excuse the fact that he failed to stop!.
do not encourage motoroists to cut us up or attack us cyclists that do obey signs i say.
Wow. A lot of negative comments on here. Good on you for confronting that idiot. If you have the video of him jumping the lights, you should forward it into the police.
@cxdougxw Perfectly legal, and quite sensible too. Millions of Dutchmen can't be wrong, and even in Oz there's a large groundswell against the madness that is mandatory helmet law. Mandatory helmet laws result in more deaths, not fewer ones.
@cxdougxw Surprised eh? Essentially it comes down to a few factors:
Cycling isn't particularly dangerous at all.
Cycling's benefits in health far far outweigh the small risks, so much so that regular cyclists have two years more life expectancy than the UK average.
Helmets have no real benefit to saving lives and preventing head injuries.
Helmet laws cause people not to cycle - it's several orders of magnitude more dangerous to not cycle regularly than it is to cycle regularly.
@CyclingMikey So a helmet doesn't help against head injury, that's what you are saying?
I cycle without a helmet too but i know very well the risks of not having one. Slamming your head against the pavement without a helmet can be fatal no matter what speed you are traveling at.
Not that it would have mattered for that guy running red lights. Helmets are no match for a car tire running it over.
But really now, helmets DO help just as skid pads on your knees help if you are skating/rollerbladin
@RealCadde I used to be a pro-helmet believer - THE FAITH, but evidence has now convinced me that they aren't much good. Millions of Dutchmen can't be wrong - even if helmets have the best possible effects their proponents claim (and this is highly disputed), they still have negligible effect on overall safety.
Real safety comes from educating drivers and changing their behaviour. Mostly that's achieved through having large numbers of people cycling, the so called safety in numbers effect.
@CyclingMikey I would very much like to see this evidence. But i stand fast, wearing a helmet (when something bad happens) might mean the difference between living and dying.
The argument that helmet laws causes deaths is a far fetched one. We have helmet laws where i live and i don't wear a helmet still. The police don't bother as long as you are a safe cyclist. If people don't ride bicycles but still want the exercise they will get it. If one stops exercise because of a helmet law he's LAZY.
@RealCadde The idea that helmet laws cause more deaths than they save through injury prevention is not even slightly far fetched. It's pretty much accepted fact now.
On an individual basis, Magic Foam Hats might, just might, protect you from cuts and scrapes, but it's outrageous to think that a flimsy bit of foam will save you from serious head injury. A helmet can only absorb about 75j, but it takes 1000j to crack the average skull. It's gonna stop a lorry like this one from killing you? ;)
@CyclingMikey I never said helmets protect you from lorries, in fact i said the opposite if you re-read my previous comments. If, like you say, a helmet absorbs 75j and you get your head with a force of 924j then you have 1j to spare before your skull cracks. But head injury is so much more than that though. Internal bleeding is one major cause of death and for that the helmet can absorb enough of the impact to prevent that kind of damage.
@RealCadde Actually, rotational accelerations cause one of the most serious and common types brain injuries, and helmets exacerbate those because they make your head bigger, making it much more likely that you'll hit your head and cause a rotational acceleration. Secondly, helmets don't act like your scalp, which is loose and doesn't transmit rotational acceleration. That's a double fail.
If helmets worked, the evidence that they did would be incontrovertible. They don't work.
@RealCadde Moreover, most cyclist deaths involve motor vehicles, for which helmets aren't certified. Most deaths involve massive trauma to the cyclist, and if you took head injury out of the equation, they would still have died anyway.
It's just madness to put your faith in Magic Foam Hats, IMO. Better spent your efforts elsewhere, because you can get two or three orders of magnitude more safety though good cycle craft, for example.
@CyclingMikey There's a mandatory helmet law here in Vancouver. I dunno if it's because I'm from the UK that I find this absolute madness! What right do they have to enforce it?! They try to say it saves health care costs - isn't this insanity?! The biggest burden on health care is smoking related illnesses and heart disease caused by obesity. None of the cyclists I know smoke (we need our lungs) and none of us are overweight never mind obese - we're a BENEFIT to the health service!
@CyclingMikey No doubt! Most of the people I know that cycle are people who cycle to and from work too. We all pay the highest level of medical service plan (set amount per month). Not only are we leading healthier lives, we're also paying top rate for health services! Making cycling less appealing, means more use cars/public transit. I'm a visual effects artist, I spend 8-10 hrs a day (when it's NOT busy) in front of a computer. If I didn't cycle, I'd probably get fat and lazy! :P
@CyclingMikey Mandatory helmet law = implying dangerous activity and puts people off. Putting people off = less people cycling on the roads. Less people cycling on the roads = drivers not used to cyclists. Drivers not used to cyclists = what I see more than I would like; drivers pulling out in front of cyclists at junctions. Drivers failing to correctly estimate cyclists speeds and assuming bike = slow and making turns that don't leave enough time. Mandatory helmet laws DO mean more deaths!
@5swords3 but the behaviour from some drivers is racist, since in their own minds they treat cyclists as an out-tribe, and ignore the fact that we're all the same humans. TRL549 is a free download about this behaviour.
Mikey - Nice to see a responsible cyclist on the road (you, not the red light jumping fool!). I drive and also ride a bike - I actually thought I was the only cyclist that didn't jump red lights etc. Good on you telling the other guy, I don't think i would have the balls to do that! Safe riding =)
"This cyclist was on my route to work"....stop it, your ROUTe? what?? ur are police?, transit police or what?, you're not the owner of the streets dude, remember that.
@SebasArielStern I dont think you have a great grasp of english quite yet. By your route , he means the route he cycles every morning not HIS route (as in ownership).
I'm with the cyclist here who filmed it too. The rest of ya ought to think about it before ripping into him. I've been riding for years, and the reason motorists get aggressive to riders (and can be dam well dangerous about it too) is because of cyclists like this this. Motorists & cyclists all have the same code to follow. Funny thing is, most red light jumpers don't have an inch of stamina in them, and often hold up everyone else. Neither cyclists or drivers are any better than the other!
Youtube gives me the impression that all cyclists are busy body nerds who can't wait to get home so they can sit watching re runs of Steptoe & Son whilst counting their stamps...again.
@markyboy28able99 But I am minding my own business. You 'kwits who jump red lights directly affect my own safety. You train drivers that cyclists don't stop for red lights, and then when I have an amber gambler behind me, I have to be very careful I don't get rear ended when stopping for an amber/red light.
Plus I'm tired of getting lectured about jumping red lights by everyone who hears that I cycle. Why should I have to suffer the consequences of your bad riding and selfishness?
@CyclingMikey you're clutching on straws to justify your argument. Other cyclists' actions have little affect (none) on your safety.
At the end of the day, it can be very time efficient to ride a bike in london compared to a car. You have to respect that some cyclists are willing to take a minor risk here and there to get those time benefits. It's up to them and you must respect that. so mind your own business. And tell car drivers to fuck off if they lecture u.
@markyboy28able99 No, not at all. I don't have to accept lawbreaking, and I don't have to accept the risk you RLJers bring to me. One knocked my mate off and gave him a serious back injury. The RLJer was a doctor, and complained my mate wasn't wearing a helmet instead of putting the blame on himself for being a 'kwit.
Selfishness, and the desperate need to save a few seconds - that's exactly what's wrong with cagers too. London would be a much better place without that sort of attitude.
Does anyone know what it feels like to be forced off a road by a lorry, wake up with people around you, then waking up at A&E and then being told that guy will never be found,
..hmm.. People can say anything cyclists but this is the most important rule by far, a car is a weapon, a car vs a push bike, a push bike will always lose,
Anyone who argues that its a cyclist fault should never of passed the driving test, its on the first and second exam "Watch for Cyclist at all TIMES!"
@imawakeish I don't think any of us would claim that, but the studies we've seen show that cyclists are to blame for collisions in a small minority of cases, i.e. the driver is in the wrong in the majority of collisions of the subset of cyclist/motor vehicle.
I was a bit surprised when I learnt that, but on reflection it's fairly obvious - cyclists are risking life and limb, so are highly motivated to avoid crashes. Motorists aren't risking anything much at all in a collision with a cyclist.
@markyboy28able99 would you rather a few seconds late to work or stuck in an emergency room when you get run over by a van? Drivers dont tend to look before they leap , especially in the cities (fatague/distractions). Also be aware its illegal.
I dont think plod would think too highly of you jumping a red.
@markyboy28able99 Respect for law breakers? If I have to respect cyclist RLJers I also have to respect a guy who ran a stop sign...except this guy was in a car. I slammed into him going 28mph and was nearly killed!
I'll never respect law breakers and that's what you're doing, you're breaking the law and tarnishing our respectability on the road. Drivers assume we're all pricks like you and it makes them impatient and aggressive. Your actions DO influence the rest of us, you're just ignorant!
@CyclingMikey lol this happens to me all the time i passed some lady at night i overtook her by going off the curb and she acted like she was dying lol
@markyboy28able99 Its pricks like you who break the law and cause other road users to hate most cyclists. Get some road sense and ride safely or take the damn bus/tube or hell walk. P.S I'm not a cyclist.
I thought it was quite funny. I can imagine someone who sounds like a South African munchkin sneaking up behind me saying something...I'd jump too. No offence, that's just how you sound.
@MultiBulletproof123 You haven't even met the bloke and you're already condemning him to a fatal car crash? Damn... Bit harsh, and what if I were to say that I'm a cyclist and a driver? Hmm... gonna condemn me to death for having a bike and a car?
this vid sucks ur actin like ur a dam cop or something y do u care if someone stops at a red lite or not if they get hurt it their problem not urs and wtf is a "proper cyclist" lmaooo
@koolio0900 Because it screws it up for the rest of us. We get cars almost rear ending us when we stop as we all should at reds because they assume I will run the red and they're also wanting to run it, and I spend my life getting lectured about cyclists running red lights. I'm sick of it.
I just wish you red light jumpers would grow up and take some responsibility instead of riding like a 5 year old.
@CyclingMikey u mite be right but this isnt a big deal in my opinion i have more problems to worry about than cyclists running red lights i can care less they can even drive on the dam highway i dont care lol but if thats ur thing then good for u man
@koolio0900 well we know where his helmet cam is strapped!!! Cyclists who film and try to cause or become involved in accidents all seem to have one thing in common...brainwashed by no win no fee claims adverts. Oh and a small appendage!
@koolio0900 Because cyclists like that will get someone killed..more than likely another cyclist who is obeying the highway code. They will shoot thru a red light cause a vehicle to swerve possibly hitting someone else. Time for cyclists to carry reg plates and insurance.
@n2155656 Proper cyclists stop for red lights. Selfish anti-social James Blunts don't stop for red lights, regardless of whether they're on a bike or in a motor vehicle.
Well don't you ever look behind you when attempting overtaking and through junctions. The other cycle worst act was to under take a car turning left BTW.
@eyechubcunt Yes, his undertaking the moving left turning and indicating car was his worst mistake, but he did also jump a large number of red lights.
I look behind me a huge amount, but it's not easy to see how often as I have mirrors.
@TheMCRcharlotte When you stand idly by, doing nothing, that's when bad behaviour prospers. And, yes, I do have a right to give my opinion of his riding, especially because it directly affects me on the road.
@choongification Because it screws it up for the rest of us. We get cars almost rear ending us when we stop as we all should at reds, and I spend my life getting lectured about cyclists running red lights. I'm sick of it.
I just wish you red light jumpers would grow up and take some responsibility instead of riding like a 5 year old.
@CyclingMikey Im a pro cyclist and even i run red lights, a lot of them are unnecessary to stop at because there are no cars, and i hate to get any zero watts on my long training rides.
I guess in a city it is a lot more necessary but to me its really not that big of a deal.
@shmana Shame on you too. I spent far too much of my life having to hear lectures from people about cyclists jumping red lights. Worse still, every time I do stop, I find myself watching motor vehicles behind me like a hawk in case they are likely to rear-end me. Every now and then one does blat through, and that danger to me is a direct result of your lawless and poor riding.
Real cyclists stop for red lights and obey traffic laws. Same goes for real drivers, natch.
@CyclingMikey I'm in two minds about this. I usually stop at lights, unless doing so puts me in greater danger than not. This doesn't happen all that often, but when it does, ASL full of lorry for instance. I treat is a give way & make sure i'm not anywhere near pedestrians. Frankly i don't care about lectures from motorists, I've got plenty for them. When we get some thought, & better road planning from TFL i'm sure cyclists behaviour will improve.
You almost made him cycle into the back of the car. Here's my question. If you saw him cycle past 16 lights, of which at least half were red, how the hell did you keep up with him? He was cycling quite fast too. Me thinks you followed him through the red lights too. Naughty.
@littlewelshcub Nope, I didn't go through any red lights, I'm just a little bit faster than him. It took me from New Cross to catch up with him as I was on my slow bike here. I'd have left him behind much more quickly riding my other bike.
whats the issue with u idiots. the guys ridin a push bike. if i was that guy minding his own buisness , i would have kicked u off your bike ,took ur camara and then posted the video on here
@mrpipshit1 If you ride like he did in this clip, then the only idiot here is you. You RLJers screw it up for the rest of us, and directly cause us all danger. The drivers that expect "cyclists" like you to jump lights and are a bit eager to jump lights themselves then sometimes come close to rear ending those of us who do care to obey the law.
Also I'm tired of being told about red light jumping trouser mouths every time anyone finds out that I'm a cyclist.
What an arsehole! Look at the way he just cycled right into the path of that car turning left, he simply couldn't have given a shit, though he'd have been right in there if the car had hit him with the compensation claim, cyclists in the main are arrogant fools who think they own the road.
@themanmaschine Well, I agree that this guy was cycling badly here, and I'd have happily given my details to the driver of that car if there'd been a collision as a witness.
OTOH Cyclists are generally no more or less arrogant than car drivers. We are all the same humans, and most cyclists also own cars and have driving licenses. Let's not be cycle racists, or car racists either.
@CyclingMikey I only wish I could give more "thumbs up" to your comment, and more "thumbs down" to the one above. This whole idea that everyone either cycles or drives all the time is ludicrous. I'd go as far to say that doing both makes you safer and more aware whether driving or cycling.
@CyclingMikey Yeah, I cycle all the time now but I've driven 500,000 miles. I am very aggressive when I cycle and I force ignorant car drivers to notice me. I have no fear whatsoever. I know how car drivers should behave because I drive. The way that says today I am driving a killing machine and need to be exceptionally considerate. Cyclists kill no-one, but we risk our lives in return for the freedom.
Most car drivers are more worried about their precious paintwork than a life.
@bobbygrewal47 Well, I don't believe in helmets, millions of Dutchmen can't be wrong. I don't think his shoddy and selfish riding deserves him being knocked off either.
@CyclingMikey this video is from the UK... and in the UK... u are required to wear a helmet. i dont care about what the dutch do, im in the UK. and i hate bikers... fuckin scum on the roads. i see a biker... im makin sure he remembers me.
@bobbygrewal47 No, helmets are not required in the UK. Maybe you need a bit of driver training? The Institute of Advanced Motorists would be a good place to start - they have excellent advice for drivers and cyclists too.
Just remember, my camera will make sure I remember you and your driving, and YouTube remembers you, and Google remembers your registration number. If you're driving a company vehicle, and do it badly enough, it might even mean losing your job. Be careful out there.
@bobbygrewal47 I have a job and a car, thanks, and my car is much nicer than yours. You'll have to make sure all the secret cameras are destroyed/removed, you'll have to make sure you don't get any other witnesses seeing you, and that you don't appear on any CCTV. Oh wait, you're just another keyboard warrior. All fart and no poo.
6 out of 10 Boris bikers in London earn more than £50,000 pa. That'll leave you in shame at your lack of success in life.
@KareenCasey Karen That guy will learn the hard way if he carry's on.but there's no need for people to police the city.Where was mikey and his camera when the london riots where happening.There many people disrepecting the rules then.I hope u see what im getting at before it's to late,Please people do'nt give Boris a reason.
I always see that in London. Cyclists want to be respected on the road but fly straight through red lights. I often wish there were police around to see it.
@paultmckay Well, I didn't expect him to get a fright, else I'd not have said anything. That's still his fault though - you would be very unlikely to surprise me like that because I look behind me a lot, and I expect other vehicles behind me. Even if I had gotten a fright, I'd still have stopped behind the car rather than undertaking a left turning vehicle. I'd also not have been going through the red light either. I'm not responsible for any of those things, nor the fright he got.
@FrontSideBus Usually, the cyclist will take both the injuries and the blame, and sometimes wrongly. Assuming you're driving a bus, your CCTV should show you driving well and put the cyclist in the blame.
If I see a crash, I'll always stop and offer assistance/witness details/etc.
I agree with you that running reds on a bike puts cyclists in a bad light, but frankly cyclists should be able to treat red lights as if they were a flashing amber.
We had no need for traffic lights before cars came along and I see no good reason cyclists shouldn't be able to treat all lights as "go if safe to do so".
@thirteenfingers I don't agree - it causes drivers with the same sort of selfish impatience as RLJing cyclists to come close to rear-ending me, partly because they don't stop for early reds, and because idiots like the cyclist in this clip have trained them to expect cyclists to go through red lights too.
That behaviour directly endangers me personally. Additionally, every time someone mentions I cycle, I get treated to long lectures on how cyclists run red lights. I hate RLJers with a passion.
@CyclingMikey The only reason RLJing cyclists are bad PR and put us at risk is because we're unreasonably required to stop at them.
I do stop at red lights (though I make an exception when in a rough area and there are dodgy looking people stood around - purely self preservation there) but ONLY as a PR exercise.
I'm unconvinced RLJing is a sign of impatience. I believe many do it because it feels safer than making a standing start on green when bad drivers try to squeeze past.
@thirteenfingers If you think it's unreasonable, then change the law. Until then, do as you're required to do. ;)
I might go through red if there were dodgy people around, or to avoid a collision, or on a non-functioning traffic light. These are all incredibly rare situations though. Apart from that sort of thing, going through reds is purely selfish and impatient. It's considerably safer to take the lane 1 or 2 vehicles back and go through legally.
@CyclingMikey I'm with you on RLJing for safety or to pass a non-functioning signal... though you must admit they are as dangerous and as illegal as the kind of RLJing vocal motorists so detest.
Safer to take the lane 1 or 2 back? Maybe. I'm not sure.
You get a slower start (I'm usually quicker off the line than cars) and incur the wrath of drivers who think you belong in the gutter. I get more direct abuse for lane-taking now than I ever had before I started observing red lights as PR.
@thirteenfingers RLJing to avoid a collision, or to pass a non-functioning traffic signal is quite legal, I believe. Assuming a genuine case, that is, and they are extremely rare.
@CyclingMikey It's only ever legal to progress past a red light if instructed to do so by a police officer. Faulty signals stuck on red are (legally speaking) supposed to be treated as a red light.
It's an example of stupid law, but that's how it stands.
Stupidly you're supposed to sit and wait.
(Of course, cyclists and to an extent, motorcyclists have the option to dismount and progress as a pedestrian, but it's strictly illegal to jump reds regardless without police direction.)
@CyclingMikey Quite right, if it's "not working" you're to treat it like an unmarked junction.
See the note at the bottom of s176?
Re. passing a red light TSRGD states "...proceed [...] subject to any direction given by a constable in uniform or a traffic warden..."
If a signal is bagged as out of use, or the whole junction's lights are out (power failure, for example) it's "not working". If it's showing you a red light... it's a red light until you're instructed otherwise.
@thirteenfingers Wrong interpretation on your part - it's entirely possible for a signal to be red, and yet to be not working. If you don't know this, then you can't have much road experience.
@ibainesy Well, most of the time a failed light will go to flashing amber AFAIK, but not always. A classic example is a detecting light that will only give a green if it detects a vehicle, but isn't sensitive enough to detect a bicycle. These usually occur for a minor road crossing a major road with much much more traffic, and the councils are generally quite good at sorting them out within a few weeks.
@thirteenfingers Sticking in primary one or two cars back is definitely the least stressful and dangerous way across a junction. There's no need to get to the front all the time, and it's often counter productive and even actively dangerous. Drivers behind aren't in nearly as much hurry to overtake you when there's another car or cars in front of you. Look at the cyclist who left hooked me last night, he was racing to the front, and would have gone through on red if the lights hadn't changed.
@CyclingMikey In heavy traffic I pull to the front. I won't wait behind cars which are going nowhere. I have places to be and when I'm on the fastest means of transport on the road I'm gone.
When traffic flows freely I often wait a few cars back but too often find it results in very aggressive behaviour from following cars. The "you're slowing me down" rage comes out then.
I tend to find that a fast start from the front makes for safer overtakes.
@CyclingMikey I know this will sound INSANE to a London cyclist as things are mental down there - but try riding in Manchester... I've had "you're slowing me down" rage from drivers when I take the lane at a pinch-point while keeping pace with traffic at 30mph in a 30 zone. I'm talking full-on horn use, abuse from all 5 occupants of the car and gestures from the back seat after a dangerous overtake until we went different ways.
@thirteenfingers That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Traffic lights are there to control road traffic. A red light means somebody else has a green. You want to go though on red, fine by me, but don't come crying when somebody cleans you out. You are a lot less visible and a hell of a lot more vulnerable especially when you are somewhere you are not supposed to be.
@FrontSideBus In fairness to 13fingers viewpoint, at least one study showed that risky behaviour by cyclists rarely resulted in injuries or death. That was a bit surprising to me, I must admit. Largely I'm with you, it's better to stick to the rules of the road.
@CyclingMikey Quite right about studies on risky cyclist behaviour.
The very interesting point is that if you look at "at fault" statistics, discount the ones where the cyclist was killed and so we have only the driver's word and assume all where the driver was drunk as driver-at-fault, almost all car-bicycle collisions resulting in injury are entirely the fault of the driver.
@FrontSideBus First - we never NEEDED traffic lights before we had cars. In the days when everyone was zipping around by horse and by bicycle they were utterly unnecessary.
Secondly - noone is suggesting cyclists be obliged to jump red lights regardless of traffic. On a bicycle you have better awareness than is possible in an enclosed vehicle like a car or with ears covered by a motorbike helmet. The idea is that a cyclist should be allowed to treat red lights as a "give way" - not as a green.
@CyclingMikey cyclists are a danger every time you are forced to move into a lane of oncoming traffic to overtake, and when you cant they are just annoying because you are stuck behind them.
@andy86i I've never heard of a single driver injured by a cyclist. Instead it's drivers that kill thousands of people a year, and injure hundreds of thousands more. A sense of proportion is required, I think.
@andy86i Nah, that's not adding up. Cyclists, whilst they do injure and kill people, it happens *extremely* rarely. For example, drivers kill or seriously injure around 700 people a year on the pavement.
@andy86i It's only to show that you're talking rubbish when you say cyclists are dangerous. Not even slightly, by comparison with drivers. And I'm also a keen driver and petrolhead.
I'm a bit shocked that so many motor vehicles are killing and injuring that many on the pavements. For goodness sake, cars aren't even allowed on the pavement.
@CyclingMikey There was a case a while back of an iPod toting cyclist who took out a motorcycle by moving out in front of him. The biker got smashed up quite bad and the cyclist got jailed.
@FrontSideBus Yes, but it's the exception, not the rule. Most of the time it's the cyclist that gets injured, and the motorvehicle user gets away with no injuries, and hardly any damage to their vehicle.
i hate cyclists like him,there so rude and they think they have priority over every car, cyclist like him undertake turning cars and expect the driver to see them straight away and get themselves killed and make drivers look bad
Bikes need number plates so that they can be reported/caught on red light cameras and help enforce the idea that they also need to follow road rules, like stop at Stop signs, and give way etc. Its also a bit difficult to go up to a cop shop and say a dude on a black bike wearing white side swiped a car that was parked on the side of the road... chances of catching him 0 without a number plate.
@trozza Yes, because number plates work so well for car drivers. I see them doing all sorts, going through red lights, speeding, on the phone, and nothing is done about that either. And if they're in a collision, the chances are they'll just try to drive off and claim they weren't there.
@CyclingMikey imagine how many more cars there'd be doing illegal things if there was no way to identify them? Besides I ride a motorbike and I have to have a number plate and I have to follow the same rules as cyclists.
@trozza Well, that's true, but it's not doing very much either. A number of the cars ending up on YouTube seem to have one or more deficiencies such as no insurance/VED/registered to a fake address, for example.
The other view is that cyclists rarely cause injury/death or property damage, whilst drivers and motorcyclists do so much more often and to vast cost to other people. That's why lawmakers chose not to require bicycle registration and insurance, and chose to force motorists to have both.
@CyclingMikey Yeh very true, cyclists tend to end up getting the raw end of the deal in most incidents. Although it isn't advertised much there are also a lot of pedestrian/cyclist collisions but most of them are so minor nothing is actually reported. A friend of mine at the department of main roads in Qld (Australia) had to conduct a study on setting speed limits on cyclists within the city limits due to the number of incidents. They were trying to develop a similar system to the road cont...
@CyclingMikey network, whereby the level of possible interaction governs the speed. I.e. on local streets cars speed limits are 50km/h, corridors, 60km/h etc. So their aim was for example bridges with shared pedestrian cycle zone - cycle speed limit 10km/h. I honestly don't know how it will work considering bikes don't have speedo's. but they are enforcing speed zones in Brisbane for cyclists (ticketed)...
@trozza I know, lets put number plates on pedestrians aswell, because always cross the road when there is a green man flashing and always stop when hes red. I THINK NOT
i value my skin & my life far too much to risk jumpiong red lights or to be an amber gambler!.
have been hit from behind on a road island in broad daylight and another time a boyracer shot out from my left as he failed to stop at the T junction and claimed he did not see me!,it was broad daylight!,i wore bright yellow windjacket and it still did not excuse the fact that he failed to stop!.
do not encourage motoroists to cut us up or attack us cyclists that do obey signs i say.
4heartbrigader 6 days ago
I guess he thinks his lucky stars will shine forever???????
yenrodtheoriginal 1 week ago
you have no friends
bullough8 2 weeks ago 9
@bullough8 Ahahahaha, yeah right. You have no life, since you're wasting yours commenting on here. ;)
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago 19
Wow. A lot of negative comments on here. Good on you for confronting that idiot. If you have the video of him jumping the lights, you should forward it into the police.
hashwosh 2 weeks ago
Is it legal to not wear a helmet in the UK? Seems crazy to me (I'm Aussie).
cxdougxw 2 weeks ago
@cxdougxw Perfectly legal, and quite sensible too. Millions of Dutchmen can't be wrong, and even in Oz there's a large groundswell against the madness that is mandatory helmet law. Mandatory helmet laws result in more deaths, not fewer ones.
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey More deaths? How can that be?
cxdougxw 2 weeks ago
@cxdougxw Surprised eh? Essentially it comes down to a few factors:
Cycling isn't particularly dangerous at all.
Cycling's benefits in health far far outweigh the small risks, so much so that regular cyclists have two years more life expectancy than the UK average.
Helmets have no real benefit to saving lives and preventing head injuries.
Helmet laws cause people not to cycle - it's several orders of magnitude more dangerous to not cycle regularly than it is to cycle regularly.
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey Haha, fair enough.
cxdougxw 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey So a helmet doesn't help against head injury, that's what you are saying?
I cycle without a helmet too but i know very well the risks of not having one. Slamming your head against the pavement without a helmet can be fatal no matter what speed you are traveling at.
Not that it would have mattered for that guy running red lights. Helmets are no match for a car tire running it over.
But really now, helmets DO help just as skid pads on your knees help if you are skating/rollerbladin
RealCadde 2 weeks ago
@RealCadde I used to be a pro-helmet believer - THE FAITH, but evidence has now convinced me that they aren't much good. Millions of Dutchmen can't be wrong - even if helmets have the best possible effects their proponents claim (and this is highly disputed), they still have negligible effect on overall safety.
Real safety comes from educating drivers and changing their behaviour. Mostly that's achieved through having large numbers of people cycling, the so called safety in numbers effect.
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey I would very much like to see this evidence. But i stand fast, wearing a helmet (when something bad happens) might mean the difference between living and dying.
The argument that helmet laws causes deaths is a far fetched one. We have helmet laws where i live and i don't wear a helmet still. The police don't bother as long as you are a safe cyclist. If people don't ride bicycles but still want the exercise they will get it. If one stops exercise because of a helmet law he's LAZY.
RealCadde 2 weeks ago
@RealCadde The idea that helmet laws cause more deaths than they save through injury prevention is not even slightly far fetched. It's pretty much accepted fact now.
On an individual basis, Magic Foam Hats might, just might, protect you from cuts and scrapes, but it's outrageous to think that a flimsy bit of foam will save you from serious head injury. A helmet can only absorb about 75j, but it takes 1000j to crack the average skull. It's gonna stop a lorry like this one from killing you? ;)
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey I never said helmets protect you from lorries, in fact i said the opposite if you re-read my previous comments. If, like you say, a helmet absorbs 75j and you get your head with a force of 924j then you have 1j to spare before your skull cracks. But head injury is so much more than that though. Internal bleeding is one major cause of death and for that the helmet can absorb enough of the impact to prevent that kind of damage.
Oh well, nuff arguing. Your head, your life.
RealCadde 2 weeks ago
@RealCadde Actually, rotational accelerations cause one of the most serious and common types brain injuries, and helmets exacerbate those because they make your head bigger, making it much more likely that you'll hit your head and cause a rotational acceleration. Secondly, helmets don't act like your scalp, which is loose and doesn't transmit rotational acceleration. That's a double fail.
If helmets worked, the evidence that they did would be incontrovertible. They don't work.
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago
@RealCadde Moreover, most cyclist deaths involve motor vehicles, for which helmets aren't certified. Most deaths involve massive trauma to the cyclist, and if you took head injury out of the equation, they would still have died anyway.
It's just madness to put your faith in Magic Foam Hats, IMO. Better spent your efforts elsewhere, because you can get two or three orders of magnitude more safety though good cycle craft, for example.
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey There's a mandatory helmet law here in Vancouver. I dunno if it's because I'm from the UK that I find this absolute madness! What right do they have to enforce it?! They try to say it saves health care costs - isn't this insanity?! The biggest burden on health care is smoking related illnesses and heart disease caused by obesity. None of the cyclists I know smoke (we need our lungs) and none of us are overweight never mind obese - we're a BENEFIT to the health service!
littlemckay 2 weeks ago
@littlemckay Well exactly - there's now some fairly strong evidence that mandatory helmet laws do cause a significant net loss to public health.
CyclingMikey 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey No doubt! Most of the people I know that cycle are people who cycle to and from work too. We all pay the highest level of medical service plan (set amount per month). Not only are we leading healthier lives, we're also paying top rate for health services! Making cycling less appealing, means more use cars/public transit. I'm a visual effects artist, I spend 8-10 hrs a day (when it's NOT busy) in front of a computer. If I didn't cycle, I'd probably get fat and lazy! :P
littlemckay 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey Mandatory helmet law = implying dangerous activity and puts people off. Putting people off = less people cycling on the roads. Less people cycling on the roads = drivers not used to cyclists. Drivers not used to cyclists = what I see more than I would like; drivers pulling out in front of cyclists at junctions. Drivers failing to correctly estimate cyclists speeds and assuming bike = slow and making turns that don't leave enough time. Mandatory helmet laws DO mean more deaths!
littlemckay 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey Cycles and cars aren't races
5swords3 3 weeks ago
@5swords3 but the behaviour from some drivers is racist, since in their own minds they treat cyclists as an out-tribe, and ignore the fact that we're all the same humans. TRL549 is a free download about this behaviour.
CyclingMikey 3 weeks ago
So????
hakansti 3 weeks ago
Mikey - Nice to see a responsible cyclist on the road (you, not the red light jumping fool!). I drive and also ride a bike - I actually thought I was the only cyclist that didn't jump red lights etc. Good on you telling the other guy, I don't think i would have the balls to do that! Safe riding =)
LukeFrench01 3 weeks ago
and he undertakes a car indicating left, I hate that when cyclist do that.. I nearly knock off a cyclist one when he decide to do that to me...
kd84afc 1 month ago
Why on earth did I just spend 43seconds of my life watching this?
Zinraf 1 month ago
@Zinraf cuz ur a blomming idot. U couldnt click off ealier? FACK OFF, look for ur mama's skirt to wipe ur tears
TEMUJINARTS 4 weeks ago
"This cyclist was on my route to work"....stop it, your ROUTe? what?? ur are police?, transit police or what?, you're not the owner of the streets dude, remember that.
SebasArielStern 1 month ago
@SebasArielStern Oh, he was on your route to work? Perhaps you shouldn't leap to conclusions about who owns the roads. ;)
CyclingMikey 1 month ago
@SebasArielStern I dont think you have a great grasp of english quite yet. By your route , he means the route he cycles every morning not HIS route (as in ownership).
jimbo80982 4 weeks ago
@jimbo80982 Thanks Jim, that's a much better reply to his comment than my sarcastic one.
CyclingMikey 4 weeks ago 4
@SebasArielStern "dude" Fack off, he is a good and concerned user of the road.
TEMUJINARTS 4 weeks ago
Wrong response buddy, *try again!*
SebasArielStern 2 weeks ago
@SebasArielStern Are you stupid?
TheSeventiethSeven 3 weeks ago
no stoping for red light! passing under an indicating car!.......delboy!!!! lol =D
mrblack61 1 month ago
I just think of them as Darwin Award Candidates.
krishudsonlee 1 month ago
I'm with the cyclist here who filmed it too. The rest of ya ought to think about it before ripping into him. I've been riding for years, and the reason motorists get aggressive to riders (and can be dam well dangerous about it too) is because of cyclists like this this. Motorists & cyclists all have the same code to follow. Funny thing is, most red light jumpers don't have an inch of stamina in them, and often hold up everyone else. Neither cyclists or drivers are any better than the other!
Jcee4 1 month ago
Youtube gives me the impression that all cyclists are busy body nerds who can't wait to get home so they can sit watching re runs of Steptoe & Son whilst counting their stamps...again.
undrugged 1 month ago
Well done, I hope you do that to all the RLJers you meet.
ajdubas 1 month ago
Since when were you the Police?????
peterpoddy 1 month ago
@CyclingMikey it's geeks like you which put me off cycling. Mind your own business dick.
markyboy28able99 1 month ago 5
@markyboy28able99 But I am minding my own business. You 'kwits who jump red lights directly affect my own safety. You train drivers that cyclists don't stop for red lights, and then when I have an amber gambler behind me, I have to be very careful I don't get rear ended when stopping for an amber/red light.
Plus I'm tired of getting lectured about jumping red lights by everyone who hears that I cycle. Why should I have to suffer the consequences of your bad riding and selfishness?
CyclingMikey 1 month ago 26
@CyclingMikey you're clutching on straws to justify your argument. Other cyclists' actions have little affect (none) on your safety.
At the end of the day, it can be very time efficient to ride a bike in london compared to a car. You have to respect that some cyclists are willing to take a minor risk here and there to get those time benefits. It's up to them and you must respect that. so mind your own business. And tell car drivers to fuck off if they lecture u.
markyboy28able99 1 month ago
@markyboy28able99 No, not at all. I don't have to accept lawbreaking, and I don't have to accept the risk you RLJers bring to me. One knocked my mate off and gave him a serious back injury. The RLJer was a doctor, and complained my mate wasn't wearing a helmet instead of putting the blame on himself for being a 'kwit.
Selfishness, and the desperate need to save a few seconds - that's exactly what's wrong with cagers too. London would be a much better place without that sort of attitude.
CyclingMikey 1 month ago 10
Does anyone know what it feels like to be forced off a road by a lorry, wake up with people around you, then waking up at A&E and then being told that guy will never be found,
..hmm.. People can say anything cyclists but this is the most important rule by far, a car is a weapon, a car vs a push bike, a push bike will always lose,
Anyone who argues that its a cyclist fault should never of passed the driving test, its on the first and second exam "Watch for Cyclist at all TIMES!"
theverdictlondon 2 weeks ago 2
@theverdictlondon are you saying that accidents are never a cyclists fault?
imawakeish 1 week ago
@imawakeish I don't think any of us would claim that, but the studies we've seen show that cyclists are to blame for collisions in a small minority of cases, i.e. the driver is in the wrong in the majority of collisions of the subset of cyclist/motor vehicle.
I was a bit surprised when I learnt that, but on reflection it's fairly obvious - cyclists are risking life and limb, so are highly motivated to avoid crashes. Motorists aren't risking anything much at all in a collision with a cyclist.
CyclingMikey 1 week ago
@markyboy28able99 would you rather a few seconds late to work or stuck in an emergency room when you get run over by a van? Drivers dont tend to look before they leap , especially in the cities (fatague/distractions). Also be aware its illegal.
I dont think plod would think too highly of you jumping a red.
jimbo80982 4 weeks ago
@markyboy28able99 Respect for law breakers? If I have to respect cyclist RLJers I also have to respect a guy who ran a stop sign...except this guy was in a car. I slammed into him going 28mph and was nearly killed!
I'll never respect law breakers and that's what you're doing, you're breaking the law and tarnishing our respectability on the road. Drivers assume we're all pricks like you and it makes them impatient and aggressive. Your actions DO influence the rest of us, you're just ignorant!
littlemckay 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey lol this happens to me all the time i passed some lady at night i overtook her by going off the curb and she acted like she was dying lol
Samimiamiv1 2 weeks ago
@CyclingMikey amber gambler, I like that.
shaggytwodope666 5 days ago
@markyboy28able99 Its pricks like you who break the law and cause other road users to hate most cyclists. Get some road sense and ride safely or take the damn bus/tube or hell walk. P.S I'm not a cyclist.
Riotmakertk 1 month ago
I thought it was quite funny. I can imagine someone who sounds like a South African munchkin sneaking up behind me saying something...I'd jump too. No offence, that's just how you sound.
Narcronics 1 month ago
i hate cyclist so much, they think there so clever.
MultiBulletproof123 1 month ago
@MultiBulletproof123 S'OK, we hate you too. Even when I'm a driver.
CyclingMikey 1 month ago 5
@CyclingMikey haha the fact your a driver aswell makes it funny, your a prick and i hope you have a fatal accident
MultiBulletproof123 1 month ago
@MultiBulletproof123 ...and off to the naughty corner with you.
CyclingMikey 1 month ago 3
@MultiBulletproof123 You haven't even met the bloke and you're already condemning him to a fatal car crash? Damn... Bit harsh, and what if I were to say that I'm a cyclist and a driver? Hmm... gonna condemn me to death for having a bike and a car?
HMSDaring1 1 month ago 2
@MultiBulletproof123 and you think you own the road because you have a driver's license and are bigger than them on the road, fuck you.
flamedrag18 1 month ago 2
He can ride his bike with no handlebars, no handlebars, no handlebars...
GMSamuelRhine 1 month ago
Another moron
Boodieman72 1 month ago
this vid sucks ur actin like ur a dam cop or something y do u care if someone stops at a red lite or not if they get hurt it their problem not urs and wtf is a "proper cyclist" lmaooo
koolio0900 2 months ago 2
@koolio0900 Because it screws it up for the rest of us. We get cars almost rear ending us when we stop as we all should at reds because they assume I will run the red and they're also wanting to run it, and I spend my life getting lectured about cyclists running red lights. I'm sick of it.
I just wish you red light jumpers would grow up and take some responsibility instead of riding like a 5 year old.
CyclingMikey 2 months ago 3
@CyclingMikey u mite be right but this isnt a big deal in my opinion i have more problems to worry about than cyclists running red lights i can care less they can even drive on the dam highway i dont care lol but if thats ur thing then good for u man
koolio0900 2 months ago
@koolio0900 well we know where his helmet cam is strapped!!! Cyclists who film and try to cause or become involved in accidents all seem to have one thing in common...brainwashed by no win no fee claims adverts. Oh and a small appendage!
urbex2007 2 months ago
@urbex2007 bit of an imagination you have there. ;)
CyclingMikey 2 months ago
@koolio0900 Because cyclists like that will get someone killed..more than likely another cyclist who is obeying the highway code. They will shoot thru a red light cause a vehicle to swerve possibly hitting someone else. Time for cyclists to carry reg plates and insurance.
MrVultcher 1 month ago
If some fag was checkin me out with his camera and whisperd in my ear hey there sailor fancy some red light action?
Id pretty much just smash his cunt in. Fuckin gays on there bikes eh.
rofldongs 3 months ago
@rofldongs Yeah, because that makes you a good person, a nice person that everyone wants to be like...
CyclingMikey 2 months ago
haha what a muppet!!
weedster999 3 months ago
what cyclist stops for red lights!? you're not a car!!
n2155656 3 months ago
@n2155656 Proper cyclists stop for red lights. Selfish anti-social James Blunts don't stop for red lights, regardless of whether they're on a bike or in a motor vehicle.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
CARPET IN THE BATHROOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!
djkonfuzion1 3 months ago
Well don't you ever look behind you when attempting overtaking and through junctions. The other cycle worst act was to under take a car turning left BTW.
eyechubcunt 3 months ago
@eyechubcunt Yes, his undertaking the moving left turning and indicating car was his worst mistake, but he did also jump a large number of red lights.
I look behind me a huge amount, but it's not easy to see how often as I have mirrors.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
Seriously man you have no right to tell people how to use the road
TheMCRcharlotte 3 months ago
@TheMCRcharlotte When you stand idly by, doing nothing, that's when bad behaviour prospers. And, yes, I do have a right to give my opinion of his riding, especially because it directly affects me on the road.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago 5
haha God knows what he was daydreaming about lol
keithosupremo 3 months ago
Blimey Mikey,so many dislikes to this video.Surely not from cyclists!!!!
ShortieLeeroy 3 months ago
i love running reds, i dont get why other cyclists get so fucking hormonal about it
choongification 3 months ago
@choongification Because it screws it up for the rest of us. We get cars almost rear ending us when we stop as we all should at reds, and I spend my life getting lectured about cyclists running red lights. I'm sick of it.
I just wish you red light jumpers would grow up and take some responsibility instead of riding like a 5 year old.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago 3
@CyclingMikey Im a pro cyclist and even i run red lights, a lot of them are unnecessary to stop at because there are no cars, and i hate to get any zero watts on my long training rides.
I guess in a city it is a lot more necessary but to me its really not that big of a deal.
shmana 3 months ago
@shmana Shame on you too. I spent far too much of my life having to hear lectures from people about cyclists jumping red lights. Worse still, every time I do stop, I find myself watching motor vehicles behind me like a hawk in case they are likely to rear-end me. Every now and then one does blat through, and that danger to me is a direct result of your lawless and poor riding.
Real cyclists stop for red lights and obey traffic laws. Same goes for real drivers, natch.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey I'm in two minds about this. I usually stop at lights, unless doing so puts me in greater danger than not. This doesn't happen all that often, but when it does, ASL full of lorry for instance. I treat is a give way & make sure i'm not anywhere near pedestrians. Frankly i don't care about lectures from motorists, I've got plenty for them. When we get some thought, & better road planning from TFL i'm sure cyclists behaviour will improve.
zivkovicable 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey ye but its fun, that why i ride my bike
choongification 3 months ago
Ur riding in a bus lane
ThisUserNameUnknown 3 months ago
@ThisUserNameUnknown No sh1t Sherlock. It's a bus, taxi and CYCLE lane.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago 4
@CyclingMikey LOL, no shit sherlock : )
Testedecazzo 3 months ago
You almost made him cycle into the back of the car. Here's my question. If you saw him cycle past 16 lights, of which at least half were red, how the hell did you keep up with him? He was cycling quite fast too. Me thinks you followed him through the red lights too. Naughty.
littlewelshcub 3 months ago
@littlewelshcub Nope, I didn't go through any red lights, I'm just a little bit faster than him. It took me from New Cross to catch up with him as I was on my slow bike here. I'd have left him behind much more quickly riding my other bike.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
whats the issue with u idiots. the guys ridin a push bike. if i was that guy minding his own buisness , i would have kicked u off your bike ,took ur camara and then posted the video on here
mrpipshit1 3 months ago
@mrpipshit1 If you ride like he did in this clip, then the only idiot here is you. You RLJers screw it up for the rest of us, and directly cause us all danger. The drivers that expect "cyclists" like you to jump lights and are a bit eager to jump lights themselves then sometimes come close to rear ending those of us who do care to obey the law.
Also I'm tired of being told about red light jumping trouser mouths every time anyone finds out that I'm a cyclist.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
What an arsehole! Look at the way he just cycled right into the path of that car turning left, he simply couldn't have given a shit, though he'd have been right in there if the car had hit him with the compensation claim, cyclists in the main are arrogant fools who think they own the road.
themanmaschine 3 months ago
@themanmaschine Well, I agree that this guy was cycling badly here, and I'd have happily given my details to the driver of that car if there'd been a collision as a witness.
OTOH Cyclists are generally no more or less arrogant than car drivers. We are all the same humans, and most cyclists also own cars and have driving licenses. Let's not be cycle racists, or car racists either.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago 9
@CyclingMikey I only wish I could give more "thumbs up" to your comment, and more "thumbs down" to the one above. This whole idea that everyone either cycles or drives all the time is ludicrous. I'd go as far to say that doing both makes you safer and more aware whether driving or cycling.
donwanakno 3 months ago 3
@donwanakno Why thank you!
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey Yeah, I cycle all the time now but I've driven 500,000 miles. I am very aggressive when I cycle and I force ignorant car drivers to notice me. I have no fear whatsoever. I know how car drivers should behave because I drive. The way that says today I am driving a killing machine and need to be exceptionally considerate. Cyclists kill no-one, but we risk our lives in return for the freedom.
Most car drivers are more worried about their precious paintwork than a life.
aaronfromhastings 3 months ago
that twat isnt even wearing a helmet...! u should have knocked him down...!
bobbygrewal47 3 months ago
@bobbygrewal47 Well, I don't believe in helmets, millions of Dutchmen can't be wrong. I don't think his shoddy and selfish riding deserves him being knocked off either.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey this video is from the UK... and in the UK... u are required to wear a helmet. i dont care about what the dutch do, im in the UK. and i hate bikers... fuckin scum on the roads. i see a biker... im makin sure he remembers me.
bobbygrewal47 3 months ago
@bobbygrewal47 No, helmets are not required in the UK. Maybe you need a bit of driver training? The Institute of Advanced Motorists would be a good place to start - they have excellent advice for drivers and cyclists too.
Just remember, my camera will make sure I remember you and your driving, and YouTube remembers you, and Google remembers your registration number. If you're driving a company vehicle, and do it badly enough, it might even mean losing your job. Be careful out there.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago 4
@CyclingMikey il make sure u dont get up again...!... and ur camera is destroyed. Fags on Bikes... get a job and buy a car.
bobbygrewal47 3 months ago
@bobbygrewal47 I have a job and a car, thanks, and my car is much nicer than yours. You'll have to make sure all the secret cameras are destroyed/removed, you'll have to make sure you don't get any other witnesses seeing you, and that you don't appear on any CCTV. Oh wait, you're just another keyboard warrior. All fart and no poo.
6 out of 10 Boris bikers in London earn more than £50,000 pa. That'll leave you in shame at your lack of success in life.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago 4
Democracy is working..Mind your own mate,Chat to me like that,i would of attacked u and then posted it on youtube.
D33VD33 3 months ago
@D33VD33 That sort of response is a good sign of your own insecurity and guilt.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago 17
@D33VD33 the guy is a dumb fuck if he's not obeying traffic laws... u can say what you want, it might help the idiot learn right?
KareenCasey 3 months ago 6
@KareenCasey Karen That guy will learn the hard way if he carry's on.but there's no need for people to police the city.Where was mikey and his camera when the london riots where happening.There many people disrepecting the rules then.I hope u see what im getting at before it's to late,Please people do'nt give Boris a reason.
D33VD33 3 months ago
lol no response as he undertakes a car turning left
daveygravey123456 3 months ago 2
I always see that in London. Cyclists want to be respected on the road but fly straight through red lights. I often wish there were police around to see it.
MJPICKify 3 months ago
the most dangerous thing seemed to be you surprising him with our piety
paultmckay 3 months ago
@paultmckay Well, I didn't expect him to get a fright, else I'd not have said anything. That's still his fault though - you would be very unlikely to surprise me like that because I look behind me a lot, and I expect other vehicles behind me. Even if I had gotten a fright, I'd still have stopped behind the car rather than undertaking a left turning vehicle. I'd also not have been going through the red light either. I'm not responsible for any of those things, nor the fright he got.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
And when a car hits him through not fault of the driver, guess who takes the heat?
FrontSideBus 3 months ago
@FrontSideBus Usually, the cyclist will take both the injuries and the blame, and sometimes wrongly. Assuming you're driving a bus, your CCTV should show you driving well and put the cyclist in the blame.
If I see a crash, I'll always stop and offer assistance/witness details/etc.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
I agree with you that running reds on a bike puts cyclists in a bad light, but frankly cyclists should be able to treat red lights as if they were a flashing amber.
We had no need for traffic lights before cars came along and I see no good reason cyclists shouldn't be able to treat all lights as "go if safe to do so".
Never gonna happen, of course. But still.
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers I don't agree - it causes drivers with the same sort of selfish impatience as RLJing cyclists to come close to rear-ending me, partly because they don't stop for early reds, and because idiots like the cyclist in this clip have trained them to expect cyclists to go through red lights too.
That behaviour directly endangers me personally. Additionally, every time someone mentions I cycle, I get treated to long lectures on how cyclists run red lights. I hate RLJers with a passion.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey The only reason RLJing cyclists are bad PR and put us at risk is because we're unreasonably required to stop at them.
I do stop at red lights (though I make an exception when in a rough area and there are dodgy looking people stood around - purely self preservation there) but ONLY as a PR exercise.
I'm unconvinced RLJing is a sign of impatience. I believe many do it because it feels safer than making a standing start on green when bad drivers try to squeeze past.
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers If you think it's unreasonable, then change the law. Until then, do as you're required to do. ;)
I might go through red if there were dodgy people around, or to avoid a collision, or on a non-functioning traffic light. These are all incredibly rare situations though. Apart from that sort of thing, going through reds is purely selfish and impatient. It's considerably safer to take the lane 1 or 2 vehicles back and go through legally.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey Well as I said, I stop at red lights.
As for "change the law" - you're kidding, right? ;o)
When have the politicians in this country EVER listened to the people?
A million people marched against invading Iraq. We invaded Iraq.
Over 100,000 petitioned for a referendum on EU membership. We were denied it.
For decades people have been pushing for cannabis law reform. We have had none.
We can't even get proper cycle lanes - the chances of allowing cyclists to RLJ are less than none.
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey I'm with you on RLJing for safety or to pass a non-functioning signal... though you must admit they are as dangerous and as illegal as the kind of RLJing vocal motorists so detest.
Safer to take the lane 1 or 2 back? Maybe. I'm not sure.
You get a slower start (I'm usually quicker off the line than cars) and incur the wrath of drivers who think you belong in the gutter. I get more direct abuse for lane-taking now than I ever had before I started observing red lights as PR.
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers RLJing to avoid a collision, or to pass a non-functioning traffic signal is quite legal, I believe. Assuming a genuine case, that is, and they are extremely rare.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey It's only ever legal to progress past a red light if instructed to do so by a police officer. Faulty signals stuck on red are (legally speaking) supposed to be treated as a red light.
It's an example of stupid law, but that's how it stands.
Stupidly you're supposed to sit and wait.
(Of course, cyclists and to an extent, motorcyclists have the option to dismount and progress as a pedestrian, but it's strictly illegal to jump reds regardless without police direction.)
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers Are you sure? That's not my understanding, but IANAE.
"If the traffic lights are not working, treat the situation as you would an unmarked junction and proceed with great care." Highway code rule 176.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey Quite right, if it's "not working" you're to treat it like an unmarked junction.
See the note at the bottom of s176?
Re. passing a red light TSRGD states "...proceed [...] subject to any direction given by a constable in uniform or a traffic warden..."
If a signal is bagged as out of use, or the whole junction's lights are out (power failure, for example) it's "not working". If it's showing you a red light... it's a red light until you're instructed otherwise.
STUPID rule. :oP
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers Wrong interpretation on your part - it's entirely possible for a signal to be red, and yet to be not working. If you don't know this, then you can't have much road experience.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers really? it stays red? in Australia it flashes amber when something isn't right, then we need to take care and blah blah.
ibainesy 3 months ago
@ibainesy Well, most of the time a failed light will go to flashing amber AFAIK, but not always. A classic example is a detecting light that will only give a green if it detects a vehicle, but isn't sensitive enough to detect a bicycle. These usually occur for a minor road crossing a major road with much much more traffic, and the councils are generally quite good at sorting them out within a few weeks.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers Sticking in primary one or two cars back is definitely the least stressful and dangerous way across a junction. There's no need to get to the front all the time, and it's often counter productive and even actively dangerous. Drivers behind aren't in nearly as much hurry to overtake you when there's another car or cars in front of you. Look at the cyclist who left hooked me last night, he was racing to the front, and would have gone through on red if the lights hadn't changed.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey In heavy traffic I pull to the front. I won't wait behind cars which are going nowhere. I have places to be and when I'm on the fastest means of transport on the road I'm gone.
When traffic flows freely I often wait a few cars back but too often find it results in very aggressive behaviour from following cars. The "you're slowing me down" rage comes out then.
I tend to find that a fast start from the front makes for safer overtakes.
Red="give way" would be my preference though.
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers Well yes, obv. in queuing traffic, but it is still a tiny increase in risk for a big gain in filtering speed.
It's incredibly rare to get you're slowing me down rage when you're behind a motor vehicle, unless you can't keep up across the junction.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey I know this will sound INSANE to a London cyclist as things are mental down there - but try riding in Manchester... I've had "you're slowing me down" rage from drivers when I take the lane at a pinch-point while keeping pace with traffic at 30mph in a 30 zone. I'm talking full-on horn use, abuse from all 5 occupants of the car and gestures from the back seat after a dangerous overtake until we went different ways.
You London types have it easy! :p
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers You must have been hogging the lane. :P
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers p.s. you can go find a cycling forum to debate with someone else on. I'm off to maintain my quality of life.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@thirteenfingers That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Traffic lights are there to control road traffic. A red light means somebody else has a green. You want to go though on red, fine by me, but don't come crying when somebody cleans you out. You are a lot less visible and a hell of a lot more vulnerable especially when you are somewhere you are not supposed to be.
FrontSideBus 3 months ago
@FrontSideBus In fairness to 13fingers viewpoint, at least one study showed that risky behaviour by cyclists rarely resulted in injuries or death. That was a bit surprising to me, I must admit. Largely I'm with you, it's better to stick to the rules of the road.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey Quite right about studies on risky cyclist behaviour.
The very interesting point is that if you look at "at fault" statistics, discount the ones where the cyclist was killed and so we have only the driver's word and assume all where the driver was drunk as driver-at-fault, almost all car-bicycle collisions resulting in injury are entirely the fault of the driver.
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
@FrontSideBus First - we never NEEDED traffic lights before we had cars. In the days when everyone was zipping around by horse and by bicycle they were utterly unnecessary.
Secondly - noone is suggesting cyclists be obliged to jump red lights regardless of traffic. On a bicycle you have better awareness than is possible in an enclosed vehicle like a car or with ears covered by a motorbike helmet. The idea is that a cyclist should be allowed to treat red lights as a "give way" - not as a green.
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
YOUR ALL A BUNCH OF WANKER S
dobe187 3 months ago
@dobe187 Are you trying to claim you don't masturbate? Ahahahahahaha!!
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
он испугался : )
Missha9 4 months ago
I appreciate the fact that you woke him up out of his reverie with quite the start. What a self-contained twat.
gymkhanadog 4 months ago
question to cyclists.. do you enjoy putting yourself and others in danger?
andy86i 4 months ago
@andy86i Do you also ask all motorists if they enjoy speeding and talking on their mobiles, or is that a bit of unfair generalisation too?
CyclingMikey 4 months ago
@CyclingMikey cyclists are a danger every time you are forced to move into a lane of oncoming traffic to overtake, and when you cant they are just annoying because you are stuck behind them.
andy86i 4 months ago
@andy86i I've never heard of a single driver injured by a cyclist. Instead it's drivers that kill thousands of people a year, and injure hundreds of thousands more. A sense of proportion is required, I think.
CyclingMikey 4 months ago
@CyclingMikey they are a danger. they cant keep pace with the traffic. they stick out. they think they can run red lights.
andy86i 4 months ago
@andy86i Nah, that's not adding up. Cyclists, whilst they do injure and kill people, it happens *extremely* rarely. For example, drivers kill or seriously injure around 700 people a year on the pavement.
CyclingMikey 4 months ago
@CyclingMikey well seeing as cars vastly outnumber bikes.. is that figure supposed to shock me?
andy86i 4 months ago
@andy86i It's only to show that you're talking rubbish when you say cyclists are dangerous. Not even slightly, by comparison with drivers. And I'm also a keen driver and petrolhead.
I'm a bit shocked that so many motor vehicles are killing and injuring that many on the pavements. For goodness sake, cars aren't even allowed on the pavement.
CyclingMikey 4 months ago
@CyclingMikey There was a case a while back of an iPod toting cyclist who took out a motorcycle by moving out in front of him. The biker got smashed up quite bad and the cyclist got jailed.
FrontSideBus 3 months ago
@FrontSideBus Yes, but it's the exception, not the rule. Most of the time it's the cyclist that gets injured, and the motorvehicle user gets away with no injuries, and hardly any damage to their vehicle.
CyclingMikey 3 months ago
@CyclingMikey ...and no charges, most of the time. Don't forget that little injustice. ;)
thirteenfingers 3 months ago
i hate cyclists like him,there so rude and they think they have priority over every car, cyclist like him undertake turning cars and expect the driver to see them straight away and get themselves killed and make drivers look bad
kinstar 4 months ago
@MistrzKubica isnt it a pavement????? lol
colindryburgh 4 months ago
Bikes need number plates so that they can be reported/caught on red light cameras and help enforce the idea that they also need to follow road rules, like stop at Stop signs, and give way etc. Its also a bit difficult to go up to a cop shop and say a dude on a black bike wearing white side swiped a car that was parked on the side of the road... chances of catching him 0 without a number plate.
trozza 4 months ago
@trozza Yes, because number plates work so well for car drivers. I see them doing all sorts, going through red lights, speeding, on the phone, and nothing is done about that either. And if they're in a collision, the chances are they'll just try to drive off and claim they weren't there.
CyclingMikey 4 months ago
@CyclingMikey imagine how many more cars there'd be doing illegal things if there was no way to identify them? Besides I ride a motorbike and I have to have a number plate and I have to follow the same rules as cyclists.
trozza 4 months ago
@trozza Well, that's true, but it's not doing very much either. A number of the cars ending up on YouTube seem to have one or more deficiencies such as no insurance/VED/registered to a fake address, for example.
The other view is that cyclists rarely cause injury/death or property damage, whilst drivers and motorcyclists do so much more often and to vast cost to other people. That's why lawmakers chose not to require bicycle registration and insurance, and chose to force motorists to have both.
CyclingMikey 4 months ago
@CyclingMikey Yeh very true, cyclists tend to end up getting the raw end of the deal in most incidents. Although it isn't advertised much there are also a lot of pedestrian/cyclist collisions but most of them are so minor nothing is actually reported. A friend of mine at the department of main roads in Qld (Australia) had to conduct a study on setting speed limits on cyclists within the city limits due to the number of incidents. They were trying to develop a similar system to the road cont...
trozza 4 months ago
@CyclingMikey network, whereby the level of possible interaction governs the speed. I.e. on local streets cars speed limits are 50km/h, corridors, 60km/h etc. So their aim was for example bridges with shared pedestrian cycle zone - cycle speed limit 10km/h. I honestly don't know how it will work considering bikes don't have speedo's. but they are enforcing speed zones in Brisbane for cyclists (ticketed)...
trozza 4 months ago
@trozza I know, lets put number plates on pedestrians aswell, because always cross the road when there is a green man flashing and always stop when hes red. I THINK NOT
biggerjohn58 4 months ago
oh well, he,s gonna be hosed off the road some day....
tafflad1 4 months ago
And up the inside of a left turning car. Epic cyclist moron!
BridgeLodger 4 months ago
ive seen so many go through red lights for god sake READ THE HIGHWAY CODE
MrPeter7482 4 months ago