Stop in the name of the red!

mockler007

Us cyclists seem to have a bad name for not stopping at red lights,
I know i stop at the lights and enjoy a breather, so would love to see how many of us out there obey the red light,

Alkers

What are these lights you talk of?

If motorists had to expend physicall effort to get back to speed after being stopped they would behave a lot worse, especially since they're the lazy ones!

Captain Havoc

No

It's not that compicated, when you don't break a red light you erase most of the dangers that it involves. Someone who is in the right of way and not expecting some dick coming through a red light won't hit you as neither will some other person crossing the road only looking for traffic that has the right of way. There are two junctions in Kilkenny that seem to have no recognition of cyclists (you could be there all day waiting on the bike and they wouldn't change probably due to some pressure point or sensor), I avoid them or dismount and use the path. There are usually two vehicles in an accident and most of the time only one is wrong. As inconvenient as obeying the rules of the road is, they are there for a reason. The guy who hits you won't be as observant as you but won't be in a hospital or morgue either.

*you does not mean OP.

mockler007

No

jerseyeire wrote: »

It's not that compicated, when you don't break a red light you erase most of the dangers that it involves. Someone who is in the right of way and not expecting some dick coming through a red light won't hit you as neither will some other person crossing the road only looking for traffic that has the right of way. There are two junctions in Kilkenny that seem to have no recognition of cyclists (you could be there all day waiting on the bike and they wouldn't change probably due to some pressure point or sensor), I avoid them or dismount and use the path. There are usually two vehicles in an accident and most of the time only one is wrong. As inconvenient as obeying the rules of the road is, they are there for a reason. The guy who hits you won't be as observant as you but won't be in a hospital or morgue either.

*you does not mean OP.

look it up on youtube man, scooters and rothars dont have as much mag field as a car does, so stick a magnet underneath, havent tried it myself, but for the craic i will...

congo_90

Or take the bottom off a shovel. Works well on the same sensors used for opening gates as I learnt by accident many moons ago

Victor

No

If you cycle with your wheel on the sensor cable, it should trigger - unless you have carbon fibre wheels.

cyclopath2001

No

mockler007 wrote: »

Us cyclists seem to have a bad name for not stopping at red lights,
I know i stop at the lights and enjoy a breather, so would love to see how many of us out there obey the red light,

The rule is to stop on amber and to stay stopped on red. Could you change your survey to include and 'amber' option'?

I'm a commuter racer...so I stop on amber & anyone who passes me is automatically disqualified...I win!

Beasty

No

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

The rule is to stop on amber and to stay stopped on red. Could you change your survey to include and 'amber' option'?

Let's have a poll to see if we should change the poll. If it is changed, I would like another colour scheme - green for yes, red for no and amber for the third option:)

Alternatively, let's leave it as it is - everyone knows what it's getting at

Lumen

No

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

The rule is to stop on amber and to stay stopped on red. Could you change your survey to include and 'amber' option'?

I think you're confused.

Red = track stand
Green = go
Amber = sprint

Points are deducted for every time you have to put a foot down.

ednwireland

No

i voted yes but my nearest traffic lights are 20 miles away


so its really what are these lights you speak of

morninwood

i don't have a black and white (or red and green in this case) approach to the whole question.

some traffic lights simply won't change to green for a cyclist due to pressure/mag sensors = don't mind the red
on my daily commute i don't need to break reds as i kinda know the sequence and time my arrival at the lights so i catch them at green (if i catch them at red i know which ones i can safely break)
all other lights are on the spot decisions. i'd break the red if it is safe to do so (no traffic around) and obey it if there's traffic and i am not familiar with the sequence of the lights.

DePurpereWolf

sometimes.

I hate useless red lights, they piss me off.

A useless red light is when it is red, yet there is absolutely no traffic coming from the other sides for miles. Apart from a tumbleweed.

Strangely enough, I encounter two of these lights commuting, in Cork city centre.

I also hate it when pedestrians push the button to cross the street, but it takes too long, so they are already long gone when all traffic needs to stop for feckin nobody.

I'm pretty angry today, must be the weather.

BryanL

transport for london did a study on cyclist. For the year it covered,it showed that of the 9 fatal accidents.
6 were of cyclists taking off from red lights and all were women.

the most dangerous place for a cyclist to be is stopped at lights

you need to take up a position well ahead or behind the traffic at lights. I saw a guy this week stopped half way along the lenght of a left turning truck:eek: not where you want to be.

seamus

No

BryanL wrote: »

6 were of cyclists taking off from red lights and all were women.

the most dangerous place for a cyclist to be is stopped at lights

Careful there Brian, based on that statistic you could just as easily claim that
the most dangerous thing for a cyclist to be is female

Yes, stopping religiously behind the white line at every red light is asking for trouble. When you stop for a red light, you should position yourself in such a way that presents the least risk to you from following and turning traffic. This will usually require you to stop well past the red light/white line.

Rob_l

No

seamus wrote: »

the most dangerous thing for a cyclist to be is female

.

In a case of coincidences an article that was put up on here from the bbc on cycling in london pretty much tried to say exactly that!


Edit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8296971.stm




wheres that search function

Bambaata

No

I stop at all reds but i will admit that i will break pedestrian lights upon stopping (or at least slowing to pretty much 0) and checking there are no pedestrians coming through. I never break junctions though.

BeerNut

No

seamus wrote: »

This will usually require you to stop well past the red light/white line.

There are a few junctions around south Dublin where doing this means you're past the light itself so can't see what colour it is :mad:. I think it's the Nutgrove Ave/Grange Road junction that's the worst offender.

Rob_l

No

BeerNut wrote: »

There are a few junctions around south Dublin where doing this means you're past the light itself so can't see what colour it is :mad:. I think it's the Nutgrove Ave/Grange Road junction that's the worst offender.

Another case would be approaching templeogue village from terenure, if you position yourself in front of the cars you cant see the lights (although I think this is one of those areas they expect you to dismount and use the pedestrain crossing before getting back on the bike)

superrdave

I break lights if they are pedestrian only ones and there is nothing coming, or also if I am turning left. Going across junctions is just stupid though and if you are hit you are asking for trouble.

I also agree that stopping behind the white line is the stupidest thing you can do.

NewDubliner

BeerNut wrote: »

There are a few junctions around south Dublin where doing this means you're past the light itself so can't see what colour it is :mad:. I think it's the Nutgrove Ave/Grange Road junction that's the worst offender.

Once you cross the stop line (on green), it does not matter if the lights change to amber or red, you're not breaking the law and don't have to stop. You should continue if it is safe to do so.

With some large junctions and a headwind, it's possible for the lights to change just after you've passed the stop line and for the other signal to be green before you've gotton to the other side of the junction. This is one reason I always stop on amber.

mockler007

No

the what are these lights you speak of are for people who live down the country where they dont need lights,;)as ednwireland
first copped, good to see so many boardies voting!

mockler007

No

good turn out for the voting, imagine that at lisbon

_sparkie_

i dont follow the ones around my area, it is a quit place. but cycling in town i would follow them, cars come flying from every angle.

mockler007

No

i see it everday, cyclist doing stupid sh1t,
will bring a stick to shake at them

Trojan

No

I stop about 99% of the time, the exceptions are 5am when there's no traffic about etc. I do very often amber-gamble though.

mockler007

No

yeh thats right brake levers are put on your bike for a reason!

Canis Lupus

No

BeerNut wrote: »

There are a few junctions around south Dublin where doing this means you're past the light itself so can't see what colour it is :mad:. I think it's the Nutgrove Ave/Grange Road junction that's the worst offender.

Just wait for traffic behind to start moving. Snot rocket science.

mockler007

No

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Just wait for traffic behind to start moving. Snot rocket science.

is the russians sending snots onto space now!??;)

Chips Lovell

No

mockler007 wrote: »

is the russians sending snots onto space now!??;)

Dude, put down the crack pipe.

DirkVoodoo

No

"I is been makin' dem polls, woop woop, haha, look at dem garda go...make poll go now!"

mockler007

No

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

"I is been makin' dem polls, woop woop, haha, look at dem garda go...make poll go now!"

im not a skanger my dear chap, ask lumen or drapper. although i do like to have a laugh on here in the cycling forum, why not have a pointless poll or pontless thread, it cant be that pointless if you click on the pointlessness of the point im pointing out to you :rolleyes: ehhhhhhhhhhhhh

Lumen

No

mockler007 wrote: »

im not a skanger my dear chap, ask lumen or drapper.

This is true.

Also, I've cycled with mockler and didn't get polled once. :pac:

ray o

What are these lights you talk of?

There should be an option on the pole for impatient people who can't stand waiting on red lights when there is no traffic or when faced with ropey junctions where the only option is to jump/break the lights to ensure safety. For me it depends on the traffic, junction etc..

lukester

Lumen wrote: »

This is true.

Also, I've cycled with mockler and didn't get polled once. :pac:

Did you get plastered in 'moticons and exclamation marks?

blorg

Why exactly do we need yet ANOTHER red light thread exactly? Ah, mockler007.

Chinafoot

Actually, can I ask a question? Are there any legal repercussions for those who break the lights? I've been hit twice by cyclists who have broken the lights coming out of the IFSC opposite Busaras, while loads of people are trying to cross the road in the morning. Its a lethal place for cyclists breaking the lights.

If it was a car that had hit me I'm sure there'd be legal consequences for them but is it the same for cyclists?

I know the damage done wouldn't be as bad as if it was a car that hit you but a friend of mine had his arm broken when hit by a cyclist who broke the lights. The cyclist just went on his merry way. Its not like my mate had a reg number he could report to the guards.

DirkVoodoo

No

mockler007 wrote: »

im not a skanger my dear chap, ask lumen or drapper. although i do like to have a laugh on here in the cycling forum, why not have a pointless poll or pontless thread, it cant be that pointless if you click on the pointlessness of the point im pointing out to you :rolleyes: ehhhhhhhhhhhhh

I never said you were a skanger, I was simply referring to your red-bull fuelled way of typing. Everyone likes to have a laugh on the cycling forum, please don't let me stop you from doing that, just some of your posts are a bit difficult to read. That was my observation.

ROK ON

Chinafoot wrote: »

If it was a car that had hit me I'm sure there'd be legal consequences for them but is it the same for cyclists.

The cyclist just went on his merry way. Its not like my mate had a reg number he could report to the guards.

The cyclist, like any road user has a duty of care. The problem, as you pointed out, is that when someone leaves the scene of an accident, if you dont have some form of id, then there is little that can be done. Cars have that id, bikes dont.

petethedrummer

I got beeped at for not breaking a light at the big junction in Christchurch this morning.

tomasrojo

No

petethedrummer wrote: »

I got beeped at for not breaking a light at the big junction in Christchurch this morning.

That's happened to me too, at the Church Street junctions (turning left from Upper Church St. southbound onto King St. North. Got quite a lot of verbal abuse for it too when the motorist caught up with me after the light changed.

blorg

Chinafoot wrote: »

If it was a car that had hit me I'm sure there'd be legal consequences for them but is it the same for cyclists?

I know the damage done wouldn't be as bad as if it was a car that hit you but a friend of mine had his arm broken when hit by a cyclist who broke the lights. The cyclist just went on his merry way. Its not like my mate had a reg number he could report to the guards.

If they were caught, yes, they could be prosecuted and you could also sue them for damages. The latter would be a substantially greater financial penalty than the fine they could potentially get from the former.

Having said that I had my arm broken by a driver and there was no criminal proceedings although there was a civil payout. To be honest drivers driving dangerously and causing injuries are rarely prosecuted for dangerous driving as far as I can make out.

blorg

petethedrummer wrote: »

I got beeped at for not breaking a light at the big junction in Christchurch this morning.

That has also happened to me, I wasn't breaking a filter red to turn left as there was a pedestrian crossing. Driver got verbally abusive at me while his partner first looked embarrassed and then started hitting him over the head with her handbag to make him shut up.

tulachmhor

Shur,red lights are merely a suggestion to stop.
When one appears,it is necessary to excerise caution,look at the permutations involved,assess whether one stays of gos,and all in a nanosecond.