Should cyclists go through red lights?

Don Shipp

Indeed.
Cyclists can beat the traffic between lights and do not need to cheat. Running reds can save you a few more minutes but may put you inside one of those other vehicals.
If you do it and get away with it, then you will if nothing else have annoyed all the law-abiding motorists (there are a few) and others, including cyclists, who see you flauting the law.

Don Shipp

Children are allowed to ride on the pavement. Adults are not.
I would argue that riding on the pavement is not safe. About 800 pedestrians get killed each year and thousands injured, in spite of the fact that they use the pavements.
Most accidents involving bikes and cars occur when the cyclist rides off a pavement onto the road. If you ride on the pavement you run this risk every time you cross the road which will probably be quite often. If you ride on the road all the way then you avoid this particular risk altogether.

beltabout

[QUOTE=Don Shipp]Children are allowed to ride on the pavement.

No disagreement but the cycling proficiency test is about riding on the roads!!!

Is it not true of the 800 killed apprx 750 are in the road at the time?

N

Don Shipp

Pedestrians get killed crossing roads. Cyclists who use the pavements die the same way.
The pavement is a very poor environment for a fast-moving two-wheeled vehical.
We try to protect our children from traffic, neither logic or statistics will make us believe that they should ride on the road; but for an experienced adult there is no excuse.

Mr.Pink

Speaking as a commuter. I commute from Wimbledon to Mayfair everyday. I love it. It is the best way to travel. You ask a great question. The answer is - It depends. Some of the road rules are made FOR CARS. Any cyclist with a brain can figure out that it is useless to wait at a light if there is no "cross" traffic, but only - right turn cars. For example the cycle lane is un-emcumbered on left by any cross-street and cars turning onto the road are only entering from the right, hence they would never touch any cyclist crossing the red light. (not sure if I clearly enunciated that). Yet - a cyclist should never run a red light at a major cross street no matter what since you get "speeders". Cars that try to "make it before the light turns red" and gun the accelerator. I find I often have to wait past green for like 3 or 4 seconds as cars, and HGV's often get the timing of greeen-to-yellow-to- red wrong and any cyclist trying to jump the light would be killed. These are to clear examples.
As a general rule I think common sense should enable most cyclists in london to operate injury free if they keep a wide berth on cycle lanes and do not attempt to be too aggressive on the roads, especially at major roundabouts and major cross-streets.

Hope that helps..
Mr. PInky!