Cyclists again: breaking pedestrian lights

carlmango11

The other cyclist thread got me wondering about a certain behaviour that's common among cyclists.

Say a cyclist is stopped at a pedestrian crossing and there are no pedestrians crossing the road. Do you get annoyed seeing the cyclist pedaling through and continuing on? I don't mean at top speed; at a reasonable safe pace.

I have to admit if there's no one crossing I just cycle through, slowly though. I think I justify it to myself because I know at that pace on a bike even if a pedestrian did pop out of nowhere in front of the bike the worst case scenario is maybe being pushed to the ground if the person is old/a child or something.

Also: Cue "omg anothercyclingthread wtfomgwtf!!111" posts.

uch

Aaahhh Heeeeour

Retrovertigo

Why not post in the other thread instead of starting another?

carlmango11

Retrovertigo wrote: »

Why not post in the other thread instead of starting another?

Because it's a different topic and I wouldn't get poll numbers.

Ronnie Beck

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wZIcHyJJrBs/T3UTuMr1h_I/AAAAAAAAC8M/y5n5EQSwzp4/s1600/falling-down-original.jpg

thebuzz

carlmango11 wrote: »

Say a cyclist is stopped at a pedestrian crossing and there are no pedestrians crossing the road.

Why would you be stopped if no one was crossing? Are you waiting for someone to come along and then try to cycle into them?

carlmango11

thebuzz wrote: »

Why would you be stopped if no one was crossing? Are you waiting for someone to come along and then try to cycle into them?

I normally stop at red lights. Then if the light stays red and there's no one around I just go through

Augmerson

Everybody is supposed to obey the rules of the road but not everybody does. I think in Dublin, dunno about the rest of the country, some cyclist's take the piss. And it's dangerous and they give cyclists who do obey the rules of the road and travel safely a bad name. I cycle myself and I know it's handy to cycle on when nothing is coming but I don't anymore and I don't recommend it to anyone.

Cookie_Monster

No I don't get annoyed when I see a cyclist do it or when I do it myself.

carlmango11

Augmerson wrote: »

Everybody is supposed to obey the rules of the road but not everybody does. I think in Dublin, dunno about the rest of the country, some cyclist's take the piss. And it's dangerous and they give cyclists who do obey the rules of the road and travel safely a bad name. I cycle myself and I know it's handy to cycle on when nothing is coming but I don't anymore and I don't recommend it to anyone.

I should clarify I'm specifically talking about pedestrian crossings. I don't cross junctions even if there are no cars coming.

BostonB

I don't believe its dangerous most of the time. But if you don't respect the rules, why should others respect the rules that keep you safe.

If people respected things like zebra crossing, pedestrians wouldn't need pedestrian lights.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Bugs the bollox out of me.

I wrote about this in the cycling forum.

Back in 1992 I was knocked down by a bastard cyclist, it resulted in me suffering two broken elbows and a broken left wrist.

Happened on Aisling Quay, Dublin.

F*ckers.

Zyzz

Red light = Stop
Green light = Go

..as you can see it is a very difficult piece of common sense to grab

Cookie_Monster

Zyzz wrote: »

Red light = Stop
Green light = Go

..as you can see it is a very difficult piece of common sense to grab

so difficult, in fact, that you got it wrong.
A green light does not mean go, it means "Go if it is safe to do so" There's a big difference.

S. Goodspeed

Zyzz wrote: »

Red light = Stop
Green light = Go

..as you can see it is a very difficult piece of common sense to grab

Do you apply that same 'common sense' as a pedestrian?

Cyclists who weave through pedestrians at red lights are wreckless Aholes, as are pedestrians who walk out in front of cyclists when the cyclist has the green light. Whether on foot or bike I see nothing wrong with breaking a red light after stopping and confirming the coast is clear.

LiamMc

There is a theory that the cyclists needs a few extra seconds ahead of the rear traffic to get up to a safe cycling speed and to maneuver away from the parked cars further up the street.
But cyclists in Dublin do believe they are entitled to every portion of the road environment from one pavement to another.

Cookie_Monster

LiamMc wrote: »

But cyclists in Dublin do believe they are entitled to every portion of the road environment from one pavement to another.

and they are, shockingly enough. the keep left rule is really only a courtesy to be observed when the situation allows, but there are many many times and reasons to be in the middle or right of the lane. You really need to be at least 1.5m from parked cars in case a door opens, or away from drains or gravel or the general **** that gets swept to the side of the road etc etc etc.

Simple.
If y need to do something on the bike you can't do in a car, hop off the bike & push. Once you're past the red light/whatever, hop back on the bike & be on your way.

TwoShedsJackson

If there's no-one crossing, who cares? It's the twats who weave their way through the obviously crossing pedestrians (who also have right of way once they're on the road), or shout at people to get out of the way while they do it that boil everyone's piss.

Matt_Trakker

I used to be a cyclist, but I gave them up New Years Eve, 2001. I miss it sometimes and do get the odd craving for having the wind flow up my shorts to cool down my nuts, especially when I see those cool dudes on modd'ed racers hangin around St Stephen's Green smoking rollies.

But I finally realised that cycling was bad for my health. I want to live a long and happy life, see my children grow up. I couldn't take constantly being splashed by buses/taxies and motorists. Nearly getting dragged under buses and trucks when they whizzed by. Or the absolute embarrassment of not owning a car and having to use trains and buses with all the other poor losers to leave the Pale.

I know an ex-cyclists is the worst kind of cyclist, but I'm happier now, healthier too, blood pressure is back to normal, and I don't get hit by people opening their car doors. I've yet to crash my car, and I'm not afraid of being smashed by taxis or buses or trucks and I don't look like a complete dork with helmets & hi-vis jackets. And I don't need to worry about it being robbed coz it's insured.

Take it from me, I used to cycle, but now I'll never take that chance again.

Matt_Trakker

Matt_Trakker wrote: »

But I finally realised that cycling was bad for my health. I want to live a long and happy life, see my children grow up. I couldn't take constantly being splashed by buses/taxies and motorists. Nearly getting dragged under buses and trucks when they whizzed by. Or the absolute embarrassment of not owning a car and having to use trains and buses with all the other poor losers to leave the Pale.

That's right, because no cyclist owns a car.

hardCopy

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

If there's no-one crossing, who cares? It's the twats who weave their way through the obviously crossing pedestrians (who also have right of way once they're on the road), or shout at people to get out of the way while they do it that boil everyone's piss.

That was basically my attitude for a long time.

These days I just wait at the red light, not because of any perceived danger but just because it winds other people up.

I believe Dublin needs more cyclists and it needs to become more cycle friendly. I feel that annoying other road users is counter-productive so I stop to do my bit to help the image of cyclists in Dublin.

There are one or two places where I might edge across the line to get ahead of the cars if I need to change lanes. E.g. at the Eternal Flame heading towards Matt Talbot Bridge, I'm in the bike lane to the left but want to make a right turn over the bridge onto George's Quay, if I can see the light is amber for traffic coming from the right, there's no car coming and no pedestrian crossing, I'll go a few seconds early to get in position for the bridge.

Iwannahurl

When I'm on my bike (an Atari Jaguar MZK6000) I feel like a right twonk if I stop at a red light when there are no pedestrians about and there is no other traffic to be seen. On such rare occasions I sneak guiltily through.

On the vast majority of occasions I obey the red light. I don't feel like a twonk, but I know I look like one to the other cyclists blissfully whizzing past, as often as not on the footpath.

For maximum subjective and objective twonkishness, though, when I'm first up at a signalised junction I stop on the induction coil and wait (and wait) patiently at the red light until a good proper line of cars has built up behind me. Then a well-intentioned motorist (it's always a motorist) will beep, jolting me out of my law-abiding stupor. Suddenly I will remember my place in the world, and I will move sheepishly forward through the red light, allowing the real road users to move up to pole position. Ta-dah, the light goes green and proper order is restored.

Tigger

I used to work nights and if if was driving home at stupid o'clock in the morning then is seldom stop for red lights if I could see there were no vehicles around
Common sense says that if a pedestrian light is activated and goes red but the people are gone then cycle away
However a cyclist recently got a shock when he nearly cycled into my wife as we were crossing at a green light and he cycled through the group of people crossing on dame street
I boxed him in the ear as he went past.

ThisRegard

Where's the F off, not this shit again option ?

Threads like this should be all immediately locked with a link to previous ones, as they never go anywhere.

IzzyWizzy

Tigger wrote: »

I used to work nights and if if was driving home at stupid o'clock in the morning then is seldom stop for red lights if I could see there were no vehicles around
Common sense says that if a pedestrian light is activated and goes red but the people are gone then cycle away
However a cyclist recently got a shock when he nearly cycled into my wife as we were crossing at a green light and he cycled through the group of people crossing on dame street
I boxed him in the ear as he went past.

Made me LOL for some reason.

I don't have a particular problem with cyclists going through a pedestrian crossing slowly, if there's obviously nobody crossing, but more often than not, they do it regardless. Last time I was in London, I was standing outside a pub and watched a cyclist try to go through a green pedestrian light. The pedestrians just trampled him. Literally trampled him. Knocked him off his bike and just kept going. Normally I'd think that was a bit harsh, but I'd say they were all as sick to death of selfish, hypocritical cyclists as I am. He picked up his broken, twisted bike, looking completely dazed. Serves him right, tbh. Next time, he might actually think about other people instead of assuming bikes always have right of way.

StephenHendry

Augmerson wrote: »

Everybody is supposed to obey the rules of the road but not everybody does. I think in Dublin, dunno about the rest of the country, some cyclist's take the piss. And it's dangerous and they give cyclists who do obey the rules of the road and travel safely a bad name. I cycle myself and I know it's handy to cycle on when nothing is coming but I don't anymore and I don't recommend it to anyone.

i agree , a lot of cyclists behave like that in dublin, when for so long there hasnt' been any type of enforcement but if even there was proper enforcement, you would still have lots breaking it as the gardai simply dont have the time. cycling even , doing it the proper way , you are really vulnerable anyway as its all so easy to get knocked off. i had a few close shaves myself and decided enough was enough

jaffacakesyum

Pedestrians cross roads when the coast is clear, not at pedestrians crossings. Pedestrians cross roads even if there's a green light for cars. Do drivers care? No. Not unless it's idiots jumping across the street when there's clearly cars coming. If the cyclist safely cycles slowly through a pedestrian crossing when the coast is completely clear, drivers go apesh1t. Why? Because there's a serious anti-cycling attitude in Dublin.

I'm not talking about dangerous cyclists who fly through red lights swerving to avoid pedestrians by the way.

ghogie91

carlmango11 wrote: »

I normally stop at red lights. Then if the light stays red and there's no one around I just go through

How can you justify a thread topic like this and then come out with a statement like that?

carlmango11

ghogie91 wrote: »

How can you justify a thread topic like this and then come out with a statement like that?

...because I'm curious about the opinions of other people...?

Iwannahurl

Tigger wrote: »

I boxed him in the ear as he went past.

Common assault, but still I LOLd.