Cars v Bikes - Red Lights

Tallon

Interesting video posted over on the cycling forum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np2akcsMtbU

Hardly profound though is it.
I see more cyclists breaking reds than cars though, and I see lots more cars than bicycles

Tallon

RoverJames wrote: »

Hardly profound though is it.
I see more cyclists breaking reds than cars though, and I see lots more cars than bicycles

Good for you I guess

Kinda missed the whole point of the video though

Tallon

Tallon wrote: »

Good for you I guess

Kinda missed the whole point of the video though

No need for the good for you crap.
I didn't "miss" the point at all

thebullkf

Tallon wrote: »

Good for you I guess

Kinda missed the whole point of the video though

wonder how long it took to gather the footage.. i cycle , ride and drive and sweet lord i'm amazed more cyclists aren't killed..tbh .

thebullkf

thebullkf wrote: »

wonder how long it took to gather the footage.. i cycle , ride and drive and sweet lord i'm amazed more cyclists aren't killed..tbh .

You've missed the point too

Tallon

RoverJames wrote: »

No need for the good for you crap.
I didn't "miss" the point at all

I'm pretty sure you did.. Care to explain what the guy was trying to convey by posting it?

I'll give you a clue, he posts it at the start of the video

I imagine the cyclist folk are sick of being stereotyped for not stopping at red lights so off he went to show that other road users are also guilty of the same thing.

If I'm wrong please do explain.

Voodoomelon

How this always ends up as an argument is beyond me. For any motorist or cyclist to try and defend their corner in regards this matter is laughable to me. Both break the lights, day in, day out.

Theres so many spots in Dundalk where motorists and cyclists alike break the lights by a good 3-4 seconds, incredibly inpatient, lazy and dangerous driving and cycling.

Tallon

Voodoomelon wrote: »

How this always ends up as an argument is beyond me. For any motorist or cyclist to try and defend their corner in regards this matter is laughable to me. Both break the lights, day in, day out.

Theres so many spots in Dundalk where motorists and cyclists alike break the lights by a good 3-4 seconds, incredibly inpatient, lazy and dangerous driving and cycling.

That is the point he is making..

RoverJames wrote: »

I imagine the cyclist folk are sick of being stereotyped for not stopping at red lights so off he went to show that other road users are also guilty of the same thing.

If I'm wrong please do explain.

You're not wrong, however, your first post insinuated it was in some way 'profound' and then went on to pull out the aul 'Sure more cyclists do it than cars'

He was just showing that cars do it too, never said anything about 'more cars do it than bikes'

challengemaster

If I stood around Galway all day with a few video cameras I'd catch 3-4 times as many cyclists not only breaking red lights, but cycling onto the footpath and across pedestrian crossings to bypass lights if not in their favor, cycling only on the footpath...

While it's most certainly true that all road users are prone to breaking red/amber lights at some stage, as RJ already mentioned - the ratio of cars:bikes and the ratio of either breaking red lights, is definitely indicative that a lot more cyclists don't stop, or aren't bothered about road laws.

One other thing that's not mentioned is the fact that that was recorded in the UK, where the police are much more likely to prosecute cyclists than over here.

Tallon

Thats true, on the video comments, the owner said there was a few going to court over it already

But did you see the police at the end of the video ignoring at least 3 cars going through? Madness

Tallon

Tallon wrote: »

....
He was just showing that cars do it too, never said anything about 'more cars do it than bikes'

But sure we all know cars do it too, hence why its hardly profound. I honestly can't see how its remotely interesting tbh.

challengemaster

Tallon wrote: »

Thats true, on the video comments, the owner said there was a few going to court over it already

But did you see the police at the end of the video ignoring at least 3 cars going through? Madness

On foot, you hardly expect them to attempt to run after 3-4 separate vehicles which were already a fair bit ahead of them within seconds.

Another thing is, they might not have known they actually broke the red from the pedestrian point of view - If the vehicle facing lights aren't visible to them, and there's usually a second or two delay between one set switching to red and the pedestrians going green, usually to allow for any 'late' traffic getting through the lights (possibly for the sake of the blind?)

Also what's to say they weren't caught by red light cameras, and that's why they didn't bother?

If it was a bike cop, motorbike cop or a squad car, I'd have atleast expected one of them to be caught, but foot police chasing after cars is a little... let's just say they could be using their time better, especially if there are red light cameras in operation there

MugMugs

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Theres so many spots in Dundalk where motorists and cyclists alike break the lights by a good 3-4 seconds, incredibly inpatient, lazy and dangerous driving and cycling.

Link road from old Ardee road to the bypass / M1 being one. I dread those lights

fasttalkerchat

I don't see the problem with cyclists breaking red lights. I don't want to wait on them to move when the light is green. Plus if you hit a cyclist they will come off worse so they understand the risk.

challengemaster

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

I don't see the problem with cyclists breaking red lights. I don't want to wait on them to move when the light is green. Plus if you hit a cyclist they will come off worse so they understand the risk.

Sure why should anyone stop for lights, we all understand the risks like :rolleyes:

dr.fuzzenstein

These arguments are all very well considering the different perspectives and there are many factors that would determine the outcome of a collision between bikes and cars, no matter who ran the light, but in my opinion and taking all these points into consideration, I think Jim Carey has the best advise to offer:;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-mnYLPxwtc

Voodoomelon

MugMugs wrote: »

Link road from old Ardee road to the bypass / M1 being one. I dread those lights

Yup, was nearly knocked off my bike years ago because of a light breaker there.

Also at the Hill St. bridge there, shocking altogether. You get lads coming through a good 4-5 seconds late there sometimes, unreal.

Not to mention the lights at The Windsor, Oscars, Castletown road, etc etc

CoDy1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbttAigUIjI

Feckin hate red light breakers regardless of the vehicle but it seems to be alot more common lately ??


sorry about the soundtrack

cyclopath2001

CoDy1 wrote:

Feckin hate red light breakers regardless of the vehicle but it seems to be alot more common

Shocking amount of ignorance shown by the cyclists, but why did the person who made the video, edit out all the drivers who failed to stop on amber?

fasttalkerchat

challengemaster wrote: »

Sure why should anyone stop for lights, we all understand the risks like :rolleyes:

If I'm driving and I jump the lights I'm putting myself and another driver(s) at risk. When a cyclist jumps the lights they are going to take 99% of the damage.
I feel bad for cyclists, its stupid that they cant use footpaths when they're clear.

challengemaster

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

If I'm driving and I jump the lights I'm putting myself and another driver(s) at risk. When a cyclist jumps the lights they are going to take 99% of the damage.
I feel bad for cyclists, its stupid that they cant use footpaths when they're clear.

A cyclist will come off physically hurt, but they'll more than likely leave a fair bit of damage on the car. Also, then the driver has to prove they weren't in the wrong in the case of the accident so they don't get an insurance claim thrown at them, lose their NCB and have a massive premium hike.

And that's only in the case of a car vs cyclist situation.

There's been numerous times in Galway where I've nearly been taken out of it by a cyclist breaking red lights while I'm crossing the road, and that's far from a rare occurance too. A pedestrian being hit by a cyclist is certainly going to come off worse.

Are you starting to see any issues with it now?

Now how about you factor in that some people are blind, or have blind dogs which can't account for people breaking lights, so they can't even try avoid a collision? What about pedestrians with children, or a pram? Even a motorbike vs bike collision.

ciotog

challengemaster wrote: »

A cyclist will come off physically hurt, but they'll more than likely leave a fair bit of damage on the car. Also, then the driver has to prove they weren't in the wrong in the case of the accident so they don't get an insurance claim thrown at them, lose their NCB and have a massive premium hike.

And that's only in the case of a car vs cyclist situation.

There's been numerous times in Galway where I've nearly been taken out of it by a cyclist breaking red lights while I'm crossing the road, and that's far from a rare occurance too. A pedestrian being hit by a cyclist is certainly going to come off worse.

Are you starting to see any issues with it now?

Now how about you factor in that some people are blind, or have blind dogs which can't account for people breaking lights, so they can't even try avoid a collision? What about pedestrians with children, or a pram? Even a motorbike vs bike collision.

Galway is bad overall for traffic law adherence. I don't disagree with what you've experienced either, I see it quite often on the bicycle myself (cyclist going by me when I'm stopped in a queue at lights).

If I stood around Galway all day with a few video cameras I'd catch 3-4 times as many cyclists not only breaking red lights, but cycling onto the footpath and across pedestrian crossings to bypass lights if not in their favor, cycling only on the footpath...

While it's most certainly true that all road users are prone to breaking red/amber lights at some stage, as RJ already mentioned - the ratio of cars:bikes and the ratio of either breaking red lights, is definitely indicative that a lot more cyclists don't stop, or aren't bothered about road laws.

One other thing that's not mentioned is the fact that that was recorded in the UK, where the police are much more likely to prosecute cyclists than over here.

Would be interesting to see the numbers measured properly, I see a lot of motorists jumping red lights on my commute - particularly in the morning. One observation I have is that cyclist adherence to traffic law is higher among the longer commuters (>3km, at a very rough estimation) than those within the city centre doing short journeys. Similarly for their use of lights.

Overall, I'm more concerned by footpath cycling. Not only the risk of collision and the resulting injuries but the culture of fear that it creates for vulnerable pedestrians i.e. those with children, elderly, blind, etc.

While there seems to be a push in Dublin for RLJing getting caught by Gardai, there seems to be a total lack of enforcement against cyclists in Galway. If you look at the occasional checkpoints Gardai mount in the city, you just get waved through when on a bicycle. What about using that opportunity to stop the cyclist and check for lights? It's as quick as looking at tax/insurance discs on a motor vehicle.

biko

Well, it's not like nothing is done about it.
This guy got a ban after breaking red light

challengemaster

One person in dublin is effectively "nothing" compared to the overall numbers...

cyclopath2001

challengemaster wrote: »

One person in dublin is effectively "nothing" compared to the overall numbers...

True, one rarely sees people stopped for traffic light offenses, even though it goes on all the time.