BBC video of cyclists with helmet cam

Tilt

thelawnet wrote: »

Of course it was. The man sending the text was in charge of two tonnes of metal, and is not paying attention. What happens when the lights change? Does he know the cyclist is there? He could get left hooked, run down, anything.

Fair point.

thelawnet wrote: »

It is ILLEGAL to use a mobile while in charge of a motor vehicle. Whether stopped or not. You have to pretty gullible to assume that someone you can SEE to be a lawbreaker is going to pay attention to whatever alternative moral code you think he should adopt, be that 'only texting while stopped at traffic lights'. He's as likely as not going to keep going, still fiddling with his phone.

WRONG it is illegal to use a mobile while driving, not while in charge. 'Driving' means when the vehicle is not parked.

thelawnet wrote: »

The main culprits for red light jumping are cars by the way. Several seconds after they've changed in many cases. Very few lights have red light cameras so it's not really a risk (the penalties for red light jumping are relatively minor even if you are caught). Would rather be run down by any number of red-light jumping bicycles than a car, thanks all the same.

Compared to cyclists? I very much doubt it.

Marco_Panettone

Tilt wrote: »

WRONG it is illegal to use a mobile while driving, not while in charge. 'Driving' means when the vehicle is not parked.

The driver wasn't parked though, were they? They were waiting at traffic lights.

Regarding Red Light Jumping it doesn't matter what vehicle breaks the law most - IT'S THE LAW. 'But they did it too' isn't a defence.

patman99

The Essex cyclist cycles between Clacton and Weely where he works.

I have great sympathy for the guy and wish him well in his pursuit of bad drivers.

Part of my journey to work involves using a 3-lane section of the A12 and believe you me, I have lost count of the number of times some moron has undertaken me or driven right up my rear bumper (in the middle lane with the outside lane clear) whilst travelling at 70Mph.

One thing no-one has said yet and that is "just how often do you hear of a road closure because a cyclist has crashed ?.". You don't.

thelawnet

Tilt wrote: »

Compared to cyclists? I very much doubt it.

I have no doubt:

http://www.easier.com/93873-motorists-drive-red-traffic-lights.html

In terms of percentages, probably not, but actual numbers of red lights jumped, definitely.

Hintza

patman99 wrote: »

I have lost count of the number of times some moron has undertaken me or driven right up my rear bumper (in the middle lane with the outside lane clear) whilst travelling at 70Mph.

Why are you hogging the middle lane? The rules in this country are that you keep left unless overtaking.

Marco_Panettone

Hintza wrote: »

Why are you hogging the middle lane? The rules in this country are that you keep left unless overtaking.

It doesn't matter. If there is space and time to safely overtake on the right hand side then that's what should happen. 2 wrongs don't make a right.

Tilt

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

The driver wasn't parked though, were they? They were waiting at traffic lights.

Didn't say he was parked as I wasn't referring to the matter in hand. I was merely pointing out that the offence is not 'while in charge' as someone stated.

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

Regarding Red Light Jumping it doesn't matter what vehicle breaks the law most - IT'S THE LAW. 'But they did it too' isn't a defence.

Never said it did or didn't matter to that either.

Tilt

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

It doesn't matter. If there is space and time to safely overtake on the right hand side then that's what should happen. 2 wrongs don't make a right.

It does matter because there are some vehicles which cannot use lane 3 on a motorway. Hogging the middle lane should be an offence as it reduces a 3 lane motorway down to a 2 lane one.

Marco_Panettone

The speed limit is 70mph. If the vehicle in front of you is travelling at 70mph you shouldn't be trying to overtake anyway. If you do it is breaking the law.

NBLondon

thelawnet wrote: »

Google streetview here of the road from which the cars are coming:

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Deals+Gateway,+London&hl=en&ll=51.47446,-0.021029&spn=0.006389,0.013078&sll=52.8382,-2.327815&sspn=12.706523,26.784668&oq=deals+g&hnear=Deals+Gateway,+London+Borough+of+Lewisham,+London+SE13,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=51.474532,-0.020926&panoid=vN_PV1mHoAz_Ei3RH1O5mg&cbp=12,210.85,,0,7.2

As is plain to see they are turning right, not straight on, and they should NOT turn across her.

I drive this junction from time to time. The road going across is the A2 so the majority of traffic will be turning rather than going straight on; so most of the drivers aren't thinking of a bike being there at all. If you read the comments below - someone suggests she should have gone through on the all-red phase to get a head start and be clearly in the middle before the oncoming traffic starts to move. Many cyclists would do this automatically and I can see why. Of course, when motorbikes do it as well...

Here's a similarly horrible junction a few miles away. Link You want to turn right onto the A20 so you should be in the marked area i.e. right in front of the blue estate. It's scary enough in a car - I'd think it a very brave cyclist who waited there to turn right.