Cyclists ignoring traffic lights

[gaz]

AFAIK deleting a user account will leave the thread and all its posts intact. It will prevent the OP from making any further contribution or receiving any PMs. I can see no reason why the moderators would deny such a request.

[Cyril Haearn]

Why was the OP approved?

[Graham]

No point in selectively deleting now.
That abusive PM is the crunch issue. It is under investigation.

[Bonefishblues]

This was an opportunity for reasonable folk to try to change a point of view by careful argument.
Most contributors have done so. Thank you.

The OP requests that the account is deleted - an opportunity lost I fear.

Indeed.

[thirdcrank]

My misunderstanding re account as opposed to thread. I suspect the OP's questions were rhetorical rather than a search for information.

Graham:

I hope you are able to resolve the PM and if it is as reported, then the author surely has no place on here.

[gaz]

Why was the OP approved?

This was an opportunity for reasonable folk to try to change a point of view by careful argument.

https://twitter.com/MetroUK/status/951166083918114816

[De Sisti]

The OP was a troll. I don't know why the moderators won't just delete the whole thread.

[Igobybike]

Anyway, I see very few cyclists 'ignoring' red lights, and I wouldn't expect them to live long if they did it all the time. What many do do is treat them as give way or stop signs, check what's coming from other directions and only proceed if there is no conflicting, with priority traffic including pedestrians. That's proceeding with due regard to the real conditions and not simply 'ignoring' the lights.

[eileithyia]

Obviously don't know the nature of the abusive PM, but would suggest if any of us went on a motoring thread to complain such as the OP has done, we would be subjected to quite a bit of abuse... indeed every time we venture out on our bikes we run the risk of being physically and verbally abused. So while I would hope we are above the average moronic motorist in our responses perhaps the OP should have expected some response that was less than favourable.

[mumbojumbo]

Does anybody know why cyclists are oblivious to red traffic lights. They just saunter through with a total disregard for public safety. As a motorist i thought the highway code was for all road users. I didn't realise cyclists were exemp.

I imagine they saunter through as they feel it is ninconveniuent to stop-perhaops it was late at nightor 4am in the morning.I know several who do it as it annoys smmug drivers.I thnk cyclists should be compelled to take a test similar to drivers eg what do you do if you meet a cow on the road ?

[roubaixtuesday]

I thnk cyclists should be compelled to take a test similar to drivers eg what do you do if you meet a cow on the road ?

Yes, I well remember the "swerve around the ruminant" part of the driving test. It has saved my life many times subsequently.

But why just ruminants?

Once, I was divebombed by a curlew whilst cycling, a clear and present danger to those on two wheels.

So why do do we allow cyclists get away without being trained on avian avoidance?? It's a scandal!!

[brooksby]

When driving I often stop at a green light, to keep a crossing or junction clear
Normal drivers do not like that

I've noticed that. Even if a junction has a yellow hatched box, a great many motorists don't want to be held up so they just sit across the yellow box and gamble that the lights will change so they can get out of the way. And the ones who have crossed the traffic lights before they change, but find themselves "trapped" on the wrong side of the traffic lights and not actually blocking the junction, seem to think that they then have a get out of jail free card to just go no matter what. I'm generalising, of course, but still...

[brooksby]

Does anybody know why cyclists are oblivious to red traffic lights. They just saunter through with a total disregard for public safety. As a motorist i thought the highway code was for all road users. I didn't realise cyclists were exemp.

I imagine they saunter through as they feel it is ninconveniuent to stop-perhaops it was late at nightor 4am in the morning.I know several who do it as it annoys smmug drivers.I thnk cyclists should be compelled to take a test similar to drivers eg what do you do if you meet a cow on the road ?

Wow - mumbojumbo seems an apt username

[PH]

compelled to take a test similar to drivers eg what do you do if you meet a cow on the road ?

I always stop and milk it.

[Graham]

I see the occasional email addressed directly to me containing such comments as in the first post of this topic.

( . . . in error I suspect : I think that they are intended for Cycling UK, in general, but the FORUM being so popular the mbadmin email appears first in the web searches. )

Anyhow, I strongly suspect that the contents of such contain widely held views from individuals in UK motoring culture.

I advise them to try to email Cycling UK directly.

Sometimes, I advise them to post here, as well, so that we can possibly change an opinion or at least keep the ideas fresh in the memory.

Best that we aware of how others see us.

Best to have the most concise and effective, counter arguments at the ready.