Retour64 wrote:Any cyclist who does not follow the law designed to increase the health and safety of everyone on the road IS a half wit.
OK, I'll bite.
Traffic lights increase the health and safety of cyclists how exactly?
You know they exist to control traffic flow and prevent jams, not for safety right?
You also know that light controlled junctions are a hot spot for collisions too right?
Without traffic lights it's just a junction, can you ride across junctions safely?
When riding across a junction would you say it's safer to ride across when you think it's safe to do so or when some device claims its safe?
Over the years I've had to deal with some corking behaviour by motards that simply wouldn't have happened had it been a normal junction - including folk trying to force me over to the side, folk trying to get in front when the lights change to turn left (or right), folk deliberately driving and stopping ahead of me when the lights are on red even when I've been at the ASL! I even on one occasion had a motorist pull up alongside me completely blocking the oncoming lane just because they wanted to get ahead of the bicycle - much to the chagrin of the bus driver who tried to turn right (from my left) only to find their route blocked (that was amusing though particularly as I was the only vehicle that could move when the lights changed).
Indeed the only time I've even been knocked off at a set of lights was whilst queuing behind stationary traffic but then as the driver pointed out; what where they supposed to do when I'm in the middle of the road?
No sorry, you can claim a lot of things for traffic lights but they're simply junctions which reduce the options you have for getting across safely because those cars behind you only see the green light and when those lights change everyone behind you is concerned with getting ahead, getting in the right lane and a bicycle is right down in their list of important things.