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| Lights and wrongs |
First of all a quick note of apology for anyone who tunes into this blog for news and comment about the international matters of pro cycling. This post isn’t for you. Instead this is, as far as I know a domestic issue that will only really affect those within the UK. Nonetheless I’d be interested to hear from anyone who would like to bring a more international view to the conversation
Red-Green Colour Blindness?
A few days ago Cycling Weekly posed a question on Twitter about people’s attitudes towards jumping red lights when out riding. This prompted a massive response with people weighing in with their views.
Personally I think it is wrong on all occasions, although I will admit to going through pedestrian crossings when I’ve been in a rush and there is no one around, but this is usually accompanied with a large slice of guilt.
I take this view for a number of reasons. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, it’s illegal. I’m fairly sure there can be no comeback to this point. You may think that in some circumstances it should not be illegal, but in the eyes of the law your view is utterly irrelevant
Secondly it is dangerous (which is obviously the reason that it is illegal). Even if you think you can see what is coming at a junction it is always best to wait for the lights to turn green. The traffic lights are not put there for your inconvenience, they are there to ensure your safety. Also if a car driver can see that the lights are green, he is unlikely to check whether there is a cyclist about to cut across the junction. To the contrary he will most likely speed up in order to make it through the light. With regards to pedestrian crossings, pedestrians can often be more unpredictable than cars. Even when you think there is no one around, someone could come running across the crossing at the last second, naturally expecting their path to be free. It is better to wait for the light to turn green than have an unfortunate incident with a pedestrian which you will be completely liable for.
Finally, especially in the UK, there is a continuing battle for cyclists to be recognised by motorists as legitimate road users. For this to be achieved we must show that the same rules of the road apply to us as apply to them. If we expect motorists to abide to the rules of the road and drive in way that will not endanger them then we must act in a way that does not imply that we see ourselves as superior, which jumping red lights arguably does. By not jumping red lights we can ensure that cycling is regarded as respectable.
In general this seems to be a similar approach to that which was taken by the majority of respondents to Cycling Weekly’s question. A few suggested that, on the grounds of safety, it should be legal for cyclists to go through a red light when making a left turn. However, again this implies that we have more rights than other road users, and the advanced stop zones which seem to be in place on the majority of junctions in the UK largely address the safety concerns.
The Twitter Minority
However, I am hesitant to take the response to this rather unscientific issue as representative of the wider cycling public. I am fairly confident in my assertion that the majority of people who would be following Cycling Weekly on Twitter would already be responsible cyclists and so likely to give this response. It is the younger, even more militant, cyclist, specifically those in cities who have never owned a car, that will cause the biggest problem, and it is these people to whom we need to show the dangers of jumping red lights.
Student Cyclist 