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news
Traffic lights (CC licensed image by @Doug88888:Flickr)Police in Richmond crack down on red light jumping cyclists - and drivers
Police in Richmond-upon-Thames have announced a crackdown on motorists and cyclists who break the law by ignoring red traffic lights.
Drivers flouting the rules face a fine of £100 and having their licence endorsed with three penalty points, while those on bikes doing so will be fined £50, reports Yourlocalguardian.co.uk.
Chief Superintendent Colin Kennedy said police would take a zero-tolerance approach to those driving or riding through red lights.
"We are not anti-cycling or anti-motorist,” he explained. “However, safety must always come first.
"Officers will have discretion in assessing pavement cycling but there will be zero tolerance of anyone, including motorists, who chooses to ignore a red light.
“An offence will result in a £100 fine and three points on a driving licence or a £50 fine for cyclists," he added.
Some newspaper columnists are fond of portraying all cyclists as Lycra-clad law-breakers who never stop at a red light.
But as Twitter user @beztweets points out, in a consultation into proposed works at Oval junction in South London published this month by Transport for London says: r“esearch has shown that more motorists pass through red lights compared to cyclists.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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18 comments
Does anyone know whether there's clear law about which part of the bike you have to keep behind the stop line at a red light? Is it the very front, i.e. the outside of the tyre halfway up the front wheel, or some point further back?
Just fit cameras to all traffic lights and change the law so cyclists can treat red lights without a specific light for cyclists as "Give Way". Problem solved.
good for them.
Quince: The legality of what you describe is unclear, if it involves staying on the road and going through the stop line. Given current case law (the aptly named Cranks v Brook case), to be 100% certain that the law will regard you as a pedestrian you must dismount and go onto the pavement before crossing the road as a pedestrian.
Is my understanding...
Cyclists only have a problem with red light jumping cyclists because motorists tell them to.
Otherwise they wouldn't care.
Err, no - it's illegal, it's anti social, it's dangerous to other people, especially to pedestrians crossing on green, or cyclists on green from other directions, for that matter. As a cyclist (and motorist) I have a problem with any road user going through a red light. The consequences could be far greater when cars do it, so am pleased to see penalties reflect that.
This cyclist vs motorist BS that you see on here so often from the articles and comments is so tedious. There's no war out there between road user groups, contrary to what the DM, or certain Road CC articles would have you believe.
correct, I will not go through a red light, but will stop and set off early if I know the light sequence and can tell the other arm at the juntion has stopped or there's no more pedestrians entering the crossing. We need advanced greens for cyclists, allow cyclists a six second head start... that's if the powers that be insist on keeping the current crap of painted lanes and ASLs...
What a dumb@ass comment. Could you really NOT think of anything better to say?
I have a problem with these idiots, since they are usually totally oblivious of anything going on around them - including other bicycles. I nearly hit two of these tw@ts last week (while going through the green light on my bicycle) - both of them happily riding through the red in front of oncoming traffic (me!).
And before you ask: I AM arrogant enough when on my bicycle to demand to be given the same respect regarding right of way as any other vehicle. But, in turn, I am prepared to provide the same respect.
Its fine to fine, as long as they do actually go after all modes equally. I'm a bit suspicious they might find cyclists easier to stop and nab, or that they might have the usual blindness to amber-gambling, only noticing those who light jump in the middle of the phase.
Good on 'em. Let's hope they keep it up!
I think the differences in fine levels is okay to be honest, its about the potential danger caused. 1.5 tons of metal versus 12 kilo bike....
Factoring in Home Office guidance, I'm just curious as to how the Police will deal with the courteous, safe and reasonable bike rider who approaches a red light on the road, checks the pavement for safe and slow passage over the junction, mounts the pavement at walking speed, passes over the junction at walking speed giving foot pedestrians priority, then rejoins the carriageway after safe passage once clear and safe to do so.
I'm gonna throw my hands up and say I do this occasionally on junctions I feel are potentially danagerous, but never when its really busy with foot pedestrians. I dismount on those occasions and still beat the red light and the stopped traffic.
I have passed a red light whatever and some motorists would still get wound up by that even though its done with safety in mind, not saving time, or the CBA to stop attitude.
But yeah deliberately RLJ at speed on a bike wihtout any consideration for others and with the risk of causing an accident should dealt with.
Good.
RLJ drivers and cyclists; a pox on them all.
The Haters gonna be Hating the difference in fine....
But is IS perfectly legal to dismount the bicycle, walk across the crossing, and then remount on the other side, isn't it? It's all a bit 'urban cyclo-cross', but assuming the crossing is empty of pedestrians (and you're generally not making a nuisance of yourself), it may well be more pleasant than waiting like a sitting duck, listening the the growling of impatient engines...
Well, I've been cycle-commuting for 5+ years now and I have never seen that happen! Red light jumping fellow cyclists - who frustrate (and I would probably say embarrass) me as much as the car driver next to me - happens constantly. We are road users. I'm all for mitigating the risks of urban cycling, but not by ignoring the rules of the road.
Agreed, but prepare for incoming...
Yep, completely legal. A few weeks ago the lights failed at a busy main junction that I use, and the Police had to control the traffic. It was taking so long, that I hopped off and walked around, whilst I was doing this another cyclist who obviously hadn't seen the officer arrived and followed me on bike, and immediately got an earful from the cop for riding on the pavement!
Good but I doubt the police will be there to catch either, generally I don't see any where near as many police or community support officers on the beat as I once did in Richmond Upon Thames....probably stuck behind desks filling out paperwork no doubt.