So much safer for cyclists to be allowed to go through red!

Kim_kim

I think the problem is there is a punishment for drivers - loss of driving license that doesn't extend to cyclist or pedestrians.
So if a driver acts like an idiot he could loose his license.
But a cyclist can still ride his bike & a pedestrian can still walk.

custardy

Kim_kim wrote: »

I think the problem is there is a punishment for drivers - loss of driving license that doesn't extend to cyclist or pedestrians.
So if a driver acts like an idiot he could loose his license.
But a cyclist can still ride his bike & a pedestrian can still walk.

I think you will find most pedestrians and cyclists pay a far higher price.
do you plan to licence walking?

Kim_kim

custardy wrote: »

I think you will find most pedestrians and cyclists pay a far higher price.
do you plan to licence walking?

That would be silly/impossible.
No - what I mean is drivers have the threat of a punishment if they don't behave.
Plus as a driver I am conscious of the damage I could do to a cyclist or a pedestrian & as irritating as they can be (cyclists really) I wouldn't want to hurt anyone.

custardy

Kim_kim wrote: »

That would be silly/impossible.
No - what I mean is drivers have the threat of a punishment if they don't behave.
Plus as a driver I am conscious of the damage I could do to a cyclist or a pedestrian & as irritating as they can be (cyclists really) I wouldn't want to hurt anyone.

So the driver in the video posted.
Was the threat of 'punishment' making him drive carefully?
Would you be irritated by the cyclist in the video?

brat

n

Kim_kim wrote: »

I think the problem is there is a punishment for drivers - loss of driving license that doesn't extend to cyclist or pedestrians.
So if a driver acts like an idiot he could loose his license.
But a cyclist can still ride his bike & a pedestrian can still walk.

Cyclists could be disqualified from driving at court for a cycling offence. The powers exist, although AFAIK they haven't yet been used on a cyclist.

Many of the cycling accidents I've attended have resulted in the cyclist being given a life time disqualification by the driver of a motor car, because he is either dead or so seriously injured, he will never ride again.
The car driver, by contrast usually gets somewhere between 6 points and a two year ban.

Lack of fairness can be looked at from both sides of the fence....

Retrogamer

Altarf wrote: »

Since you are apparently so dim, I will spell it out in terms that even a cyclist can understand.

The traffic planners know that all road users may not stop immediately the lights change to red, so allow a small amount of time before the green man shows.

So even if you get someone going through just after the lights have changed, whether they be a car, bus, or even a cyclist (and often it is the cyclist not wanting to waste the momentum they have built up), the pedestrian is safe, as they have not been given the indication to cross.

However when you get a moron cyclist who ploughs on through a red light after it has been red for some time, then the green man will be showing, and the pedestrian will not be expecting to get flattened by them.

Do you now understand, or do I need to simplify it to words of one syllable for you?

This is all good in your dilluded version of reality where pedestrians only walk out when the man is green. I know a lot of pedestians that will gauge when to walk cross based on the lights the traffic should be following. I.e the traffic light is red, it should be safe to cross.

So we've established that your main concern is safety when driving through a red light, rather than the strictly legal sense.

Taking this on board i assume if a cyclist approaches a red light and there is no other traffic nearby, no other pedestrians nearby and thus no risk of an accident you will defend their right to go through it as vigilantly as you defend a motorists right to floor it through a light that's just turned red?

frisbeej

Altarf wrote: »

Since you are apparently so dim, I will spell it out in terms that even a cyclist can understand.

The traffic planners know that all road users may not stop immediately the lights change to red, so allow a small amount of time before the green man shows.

So even if you get someone going through just after the lights have changed, whether they be a car, bus, or even a cyclist (and often it is the cyclist not wanting to waste the momentum they have built up), the pedestrian is safe, as they have not been given the indication to cross.

However when you get a moron cyclist who ploughs on through a red light after it has been red for some time, then the green man will be showing, and the pedestrian will not be expecting to get flattened by them.

Do you now understand, or do I need to simplify it to words of one syllable for you?

So you're saying that road users don't need to stop if the lights change to amber as they are approaching and it is safe to do so?


I think you need to go away and have a little think about that...

Retrogamer

frisbeej wrote: »

So you're saying that road users don't need to stop if the lights change to amber as they are approaching and it is safe to do so?


I think you need to go away and have a little think about that...

They've started even if the light is red and the motorist floors it through it, this is fine as there's a few second delay before the other traffic lights and the green man say it's safe to go.

custardy

Retrogamer wrote: »

They've started even if the light is red and the motorist floors it through it, this is fine as there's a few second delay before the other traffic lights and the green man say it's safe to go.

Ha! I was thinking of this thread just yesterday.
Sitting on Waverley bridge. For anyone who knows Edinburgh,during the festival pedestrians tend to mob the roads and great care is required.
As i finally get to the lights they turn red,so I stop. Hears an engine roar,look in the NS mirror and an M3 is flooring it and speeding round the left corner.(this is uphill with a wide pavement,so you cant see the road clearly)
Utter madness for a few minutes wait. A pedestrian was killed just a few days ago in the city being hit by a bus.

brat

Our main town centre lights have three phases for traffic and one for pedestrians. The real misusers of these lights are pedestrians who cross in droves as soon as the traffic phases change. They don't even look to see where the next phase of traffic is coming from, nor do they (generally) look to see if the approaching traffic is going to offer them the protection that they don't seem keen to take any personal responsibility for.

I've often found myself weaving slowly and carefully through pedestrians blindly crossing on the red pedestrian light, occasionally getting abuse as I do so.

It's one of these junctions that cyclists could benefit from going through on red. A few do, the majority stop,
But pedestrians adopt a lemming mentality and follow others without thinking about the potential risk to themselves.