Cars running red lights

[thirdcrank]

I had a good one today. Stopped at a red (in the car) and the driver behind overtook me, across double white lines, to jump the light. Still, number plates stop people doing that, right?

I think that generalised camera enforcement at traffic lights would significantly increase compliance. Unfortunately, there's a number - which I believe is increasing - of motor vehicles which are not properly documented. (Untaxed, uninsured, not correctly registered to keeper, duff plates etc.)

[Flinders]

I was reading a conversation on a general forum local to me (not a cycling forum). The posters seem to agree that here the general local attitude of drivers in the past of 'one after the red' has now gone to 'two after the red'. (Naturally it's at least three on temporary lights) More recent posts refer to cars overtaking vehicles stopped at reds to run the red lights; this seems to be getting positively common.

When we had road works for an extended period of time which regularly stuffed up the traffic in the town centre it was much worse, at one set of lights I'd say on average about four cars went through at red every change at busy times. I have seen up to five do it. Apart from the danger, it regularly caused gridlock at some junctions. The police were contacted by at least one of the posters at that time, their reply IIRC was to the effect that the accident stats in the town in the past hadn't been especially bad so they didn't propose to even look into it. Which is as logical as saying to someone reporting a murder in progress that a murder can't be being committed there because that area hasn't had a murder happen before.

More than one post I have read has referred to police vehicles going through at red when not showing blue lights. And my worst experience to date with a white van whilst cycling in this area turned out to be a 'local policing team' van.

[mjr]

Push a pram into the road the instant the lights say you are allowed to cross. ...

I've sometimes thought that a supermarket trolley would be good for this.

Stand watch by a set of lights, and I'd guess that, on average, there be one vehicle running the red light at every other sequence. Do you really suppose that a pram with a kiddie in it would bring out the best in a bad person?

I think the suggestion was to use a pram without a kiddie in it!

[reohn2]

I had a good one today. Stopped at a red (in the car) and the driver behind overtook me, across double white lines, to jump the light. Still, number plates stop people doing that, right?

I had the same thing happen earlier in the week,the goon had been tailgating me for about half a mile previously unable to get past due to oncoming traffic,goons abound

[brooksby]

Push a pram into the road the instant the lights say you are allowed to cross. ...

I've sometimes thought that a supermarket trolley would be good for this.

Yup - like the scene in 'Speed' with Keanu Reeves, when they think they've hit a pram and its a homeless person's shopping trolley full of recycling cans.

[JohnW]

..................Yup - like the scene in 'Speed' with Keanu Reeves, when they think they've hit a pram and its a homeless person's shopping trolley full of recycling cans.

both would be worth 7 points in the 'Motorist of the Year' competition.

[Annoying Twit]

Thanks very much for the replies here. Both those that directly addressed my question, and the general discussion that followed. Unfortunately, life intervened and I am only back now.

The point about drivers killing pedestrians by running red lights is a good comeback to those who criticise (admittedly justifiably) cyclists for running red lights. Both actions (cars running the light and cyclists running the light) are wrong, but the consequences of cars jumping red lights are more serious.

Plenty of good advice in this thread. Taking video and putting it up on youtube is a good idea. As is the website for reporting incidents. However, it would be better for me to have a helmet camera. I don't think it would be right to set up a camera on a tripod at the crossing and push the button with no intention of crossing. However, if I had a permanently running helmet camera, then I'd soon collect enough footage.

In terms of reporting this to the police or other enforcement, I don't think this is the most dangerous place for cars to run red lights, and I haven't had near misses myself as I know to check for cars running the light before crossing. I haven't seen or heard of incidents there, though I'm concerned about children crossing, in particular, as they may not know to check. The green stays green long enough for me to allow some safety margin before crossing. If I had always crossed immediately the light turned green I expect that I would be dead by now. I'd feel better reporting this to police if I did have camera evidence.

When I was cycling in New Zealand at Christmas, it appeared that drivers running red lights is even more of a problem than it is now. I frequently saw cars crossing in front of me long after my light had turned green.

[JohnW]

Firstly Annoying Twit - you're not annoying and your posts suggest anything but a 'twit' - isn't your pseudonym a misnomer?

To the point, however - I witnessed one just yesterday. On one of my regular routes I have to cross a (very) busy main road at a staggered cross-roads, and it's very dangerous. I enter the cross-roads from a minor road, and leave them on another. Most of the time it's almost impossible to get across the main road (alive, anyway) and I dismount and cross using an adjacent Pelican crossing. This is very conveniently located.

Yesterday when I came up to the Pelican there were three or four pedestrians waiting for the 'lights' to change. The lights went from amber to red, and traffic from both directions stopped. We'd all started to cross when a motorist barrelled up from one direction, blasted his horn and accelerated through. He couldn't see people on the crossing because of the stopped car in front of him, so there was a screech of brakes, a violent swerve and a tirade of abuse through the passenger window. The fact that he didn't kill someone was no thanks to him, and just pure luck. The lady driver from one of the stopped cars got out to comfort one of the almost-victims.

There's good and bad in this world - but why do so many of the bad ones drive cars?

There's really no point it reporting to the police. Many of us have tried it........if you ring the non-999 number at the time no-one answers for ages if at all, and how else do you report it? There aren't enough police - they've suffered so many cuts - they'll come out for a 999 call but if no-one is injured you'll get a bo***king for wasting police time. Can't blame the police folk - their hands are tied by sheer lack of numbers......and in any case, motorists generally get away with it.

[Annoying Twit]

I did manage to borrow a GoPro Hero 5 with a headstrap. However, in using it to record cycling footage the first day the only 'transgressions' I recorded were my own. Using the camera has emphasised to me that I've been a bit sloppy. What's happened is that in two cases of remarkably short and small one way streets, I've sort of evolved into using them more than I should, which occurred to me as I rode them with the camera rolling. I've made a decision to stop doing that on those roads, even though that's going to slow me down.

I saw another car go through the red the other day, but not when I had the camera on.

[thirdcrank]

I did manage to borrow a GoPro Hero 5 with a headstrap. However, in using it to record cycling footage the first day the only 'transgressions' I recorded were my own. Using the camera has emphasised to me that I've been a bit sloppy. What's happened is that in two cases of remarkably short and small one way streets, I've sort of evolved into using them more than I should, which occurred to me as I rode them with the camera rolling. I've made a decision to stop doing that on those roads, even though that's going to slow me down. ....(My emphasis)

A thoughtful post. I would say that, though, because I've posted before that that's been my own experience of using a dashcam: it's a good way of reflecting on your own performance and trying to improve it. On a practical note, it's also dodgy using footage to criticise others, either by reports to the police or just exposure on youtube, if it reveals shortcomings of your own.

[JohnW]

..............it's also dodgy using footage to criticise others, either by reports to the police or just exposure on youtube, if it reveals shortcomings of your own.

Motorists don't have shortcomings tc - ask 'em - they'll tell you.

[mjr]

Using the camera has emphasised to me that I've been a bit sloppy. What's happened is that in two cases of remarkably short and small one way streets, I've sort of evolved into using them more than I should, which occurred to me as I rode them with the camera rolling. I've made a decision to stop doing that on those roads, even though that's going to slow me down.

Please also report the one-way streets as faulty, missing the "except cycles" plates that they should have now. We've started to finally get some in King's Lynn by repeatedly making the request and I think Cambridge's came about in a similar way.

[SilverBadge]

The point about drivers killing pedestrians by running red lights is a good comeback to those who criticise (admittedly justifiably) cyclists for running red lights. Both actions (cars running the light and cyclists running the light) are wrong, but the consequences of cars jumping red lights are more serious.


When I was cycling in New Zealand at Christmas, it appeared that drivers running red lights is even more of a problem than it is now. I frequently saw cars crossing in front of me long after my light had turned green.

The standard anti-cyclist narrative, is "not passed a test, no insurance, pays no tax, reckless and doesn't respect the laws of the road, jumping red lights, not wearing a helmet", particularly where fatalities are discussed. From a sample of about 100 cyclists fatalities, the tally was:
Cyclist RLJ 2
Motorist RLJ 3
Cyclist at (other) fault 30%
Motorist at (other) fault 65%
It is casual, usually unintended, negligence that is the real killer.
I think most cyclist RLJ is treating a red light as a give way sign rather than a suicidal right-of-way challenge. And if they were caught more often they might do it less (same as motorists with speeding, drink driving). I occasionally point out to motorist friends that they have crossed many junctions without waiting for a green light - that's what the give way system does.

As regards NZ, whilst in UK the motorist/cyclist accident blame ratio is ~2:1, in Australia it's more like 8:1.

[Annoying Twit]

Please also report the one-way streets as faulty, missing the "except cycles" plates that they should have now. We've started to finally get some in King's Lynn by repeatedly making the request and I think Cambridge's came about in a similar way.

I didn't know that one-way streets should have 'except cycles' plates. Is there somewhere I can find more information about this?

This is one of the roads that I had been riding the wrong way. I started getting off and walking. Then I evolved to cycling as far as the first drop curb and then walking, then finally cycling the whole distance along the (short road.) https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.64691 ... 312!8i6656

It's not just 'naughty'. I try to obey red lights etc. mostly because annoying drivers by riding through them (even when utterly safe to all) may lead to the next cyclist getting less consideration from an angry driver.

[SilverBadge]

Please also report the one-way streets as faulty, missing the "except cycles" plates that they should have now. We've started to finally get some in King's Lynn by repeatedly making the request and I think Cambridge's came about in a similar way.

I didn't know that one-way streets should have 'except cycles' plates. Is there somewhere I can find more information about this?

This is one of the roads that I had been riding the wrong way. I started getting off and walking. Then I evolved to cycling as far as the first drop curb and then walking, then finally cycling the whole distance along the (short road.) https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.64691 ... 312!8i6656

It's not just 'naughty'. I try to obey red lights etc. mostly because annoying drivers by riding through them (even when utterly safe to all) may lead to the next cyclist getting less consideration from an angry driver.

I too would disagree with "should". There is scope for many one-way streets to have a contraflow cycle lane, but that is not the same.