HomeUnited KingdomA new study has revealed over a quarter of cyclists are not stopping for red lights in London with 41 per cent of e-Scooters also ignoring the law
From my personal experience as a cyclist… I’m surprised it’s only a quarter.
When I’m sitting at red lights, more than half go past me.
This needs a proper campaign about traffic lights, the same way I got when I was a kid at school, but I guess there is no budget for this.
Definitely surprised on it only been a quarter – this morning I saw at least 5 go through on a red ( traffic lights) and face oncoming traffic on a single lane of traffic which then slowed everything down. Bloody selfish. Caught them up at the next traffic lights too, it’s always the slow plodders in my experience
If I had a penny for the number of times I would’ve been wiped out at a pedestrian crossing if not looking out for tour de france wannabes I’d have several pennies
A quarter? As if. It’s way, way more than that.
Some traffic lights (looking at you, C9 in Chiswick) are really poorly designed, but for so many other junctions those who jump the reds are putting their lives on the line. The only solution is for the police to get out there and dish out fines. I do think there are lots of accidents, injuries and possibly deaths that could be avoided by enforcing the rules properly. We as cyclists would be the biggest beneficiaries.
I use rental e-scooters a fair bit. I stop at every red, and most other cyclists do too. The thing that most commonly barrels through red lights in my experience is guys on food delivery bikes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one stop at the lights.
Cyclists need to change and obey the rules, but the laws ABSOLUTELY need to change to accommodate and encourage responsible cycling too.
Look at Amsterdam and Copenhagen, they are years ahead of us.
A few simple examples: When the pedestrian light is green on your left, it should be OK for bikers to go too. If all lights are green for pedestrians, then bikers should be able to stop and go, respecting pedestrians’ right of way.
I’d say 100% of Lime bike users and food delivery riders don’t stop
Saw a cyclist go through a red light and hit a school kid yesterday in east finchley . Kids arm looked messed up. Cyclist did stop , checked on the kid , but then rode off the pavement losing his balance as he slowed down and hit me, not in a hard way but still ridiculous
As a cyclist, I can confirm on my cycling routes, this figure is much higher. There’s only so much eye rolling and tutting one can do as they fly past.
Natural selection will see those numbers reduce, in time.
Only over a quarter? Seems unrealistically low.
Shocked face…
I agree it’s the food delivery ebikes. I waited for the green light to cross in bank in front of the bank of England at that junction. Cyclists were in a row stopped and I step to cross and the F1 racer deliveroo cyclist appears and nearly kills himself braking.
As a pedestrian and occasional driver it feels more like a societal problem of impatience/selfishness/lack of care than one specific to cyclists/scooters. Not all that long ago (pre-covid?) it was super rare to see a car drive over a zebra crossing with pedestrians waiting. Now it feels like maybe half the time I come to a crossing I’ll have to wait for a car or two to drive over it before somebody stops.
what? I thought it was not mandatory to stop for red lights….most of the time cyclists just don’t slow down and expect me to give way?
It’s like something clicks the moment they cycle into Zone 3. I did a Zone 6 to 6 cycle last month, and the standards absolutely plummeted as i got further in.
Like everything there are levels of douchebaggery. From personal experience, the e-scooters make the best douchebags. Followed by the lime bike users.
Way more than a quarter, it feels like more than half in my experience as a pedestrian.
I almost got hit by someone a week ago at a zebra crossing but luckily they managed to hit their breaks in time. It made my heart race.
I once tried to ride one of those Lime bikes and found it too heavy and almost crashed trying to turn. I haven’t dared ride one since – I can only imagine how painful it would be to be hit by one.
I do see regular cyclists obeying the law, however, there are always a few, especially if in full gear I’ve noticed who want to act like it’s their own personal race.
I’m always surprised when a cyclist stop at the red light
Oh my god it’s so many more than 1 quarter, literally 80% in the last 4 years of cycling in north London…
This is how one unlucky cyclist ended up cracking his head on my stationary vehicle. Old fart had his head down as he was struggling to cycle uphill and went through a red light.
This is why I now have a dashcam. Never ever again.
In other news bears seen pooping in woods.
I’m surprised it’s that low.
Had a few years break in regular cycling and the increase in this habit is absolutely enormous. Now you’re easily in the minority if you wait at a light. Too many cyclists are incentivized to not stop. Delivery cyclists paid on number of deliveries made, lime cyclists being charged by the minute, both groups are being encouraged to take risks to save, or make money.
Far more than a quarter and is partly why everyone thinks cyclists are twats
I moved to London last month, I’ve been hit already and now I check multiple times before crossing.
Doesn’t surprise me. I’m all for a bit of pragmatism at lights since cyclists setting off at the same time as cars can be dangerous for cyclists, or there’s little harm in slowly rolling through an empty red to do so (rather than technically abiding by the law by getting off, walking 2m, and getting back on).
But there is no excuse for bombing through lights when there are peds crossing. You knock somebody over at a speed as low as 20mph, they can crack their head and have a serious injury and you can damage your bike. It isn’t worth it for a 5s time save.
Friend of mine watched a red light runner hit another cyclist going on green. Even the bikes aren’t safe.
Just as bad in Brighton but the police do absolutely nothing. Cyclists on footpaths/pavements are also a real danger to pedestrians here.
Only a quarter? Every time there seems to be 3 quarters of cyclist ignoring traffic lights not to mention those speeding through the zebra crossing to my kid’s school.
Also in, 75% of cyclists are liars.
Are they sure they didn’t get the probability the other way around?
34 comments
From my personal experience as a cyclist… I’m surprised it’s only a quarter.
When I’m sitting at red lights, more than half go past me.
This needs a proper campaign about traffic lights, the same way I got when I was a kid at school, but I guess there is no budget for this.
Definitely surprised on it only been a quarter – this morning I saw at least 5 go through on a red ( traffic lights) and face oncoming traffic on a single lane of traffic which then slowed everything down. Bloody selfish. Caught them up at the next traffic lights too, it’s always the slow plodders in my experience
If I had a penny for the number of times I would’ve been wiped out at a pedestrian crossing if not looking out for tour de france wannabes I’d have several pennies
A quarter? As if. It’s way, way more than that.
Some traffic lights (looking at you, C9 in Chiswick) are really poorly designed, but for so many other junctions those who jump the reds are putting their lives on the line. The only solution is for the police to get out there and dish out fines. I do think there are lots of accidents, injuries and possibly deaths that could be avoided by enforcing the rules properly. We as cyclists would be the biggest beneficiaries.
I use rental e-scooters a fair bit. I stop at every red, and most other cyclists do too. The thing that most commonly barrels through red lights in my experience is guys on food delivery bikes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one stop at the lights.
Cyclists need to change and obey the rules, but the laws ABSOLUTELY need to change to accommodate and encourage responsible cycling too.
Look at Amsterdam and Copenhagen, they are years ahead of us.
A few simple examples:
When the pedestrian light is green on your left, it should be OK for bikers to go too.
If all lights are green for pedestrians, then bikers should be able to stop and go, respecting pedestrians’ right of way.
I’d say 100% of Lime bike users and food delivery riders don’t stop
Saw a cyclist go through a red light and hit a school kid yesterday in east finchley . Kids arm looked messed up. Cyclist did stop , checked on the kid , but then rode off the pavement losing his balance as he slowed down and hit me, not in a hard way but still ridiculous
As a cyclist, I can confirm on my cycling routes, this figure is much higher. There’s only so much eye rolling and tutting one can do as they fly past.
Natural selection will see those numbers reduce, in time.
Only over a quarter? Seems unrealistically low.
Shocked face…
I agree it’s the food delivery ebikes. I waited for the green light to cross in bank in front of the bank of England at that junction. Cyclists were in a row stopped and I step to cross and the F1 racer deliveroo cyclist appears and nearly kills himself braking.
As a pedestrian and occasional driver it feels more like a societal problem of impatience/selfishness/lack of care than one specific to cyclists/scooters. Not all that long ago (pre-covid?) it was super rare to see a car drive over a zebra crossing with pedestrians waiting. Now it feels like maybe half the time I come to a crossing I’ll have to wait for a car or two to drive over it before somebody stops.
what? I thought it was not mandatory to stop for red lights….most of the time cyclists just don’t slow down and expect me to give way?
It’s like something clicks the moment they cycle into Zone 3. I did a Zone 6 to 6 cycle last month, and the standards absolutely plummeted as i got further in.
Like everything there are levels of douchebaggery.
From personal experience, the e-scooters make the best douchebags. Followed by the lime bike users.
Way more than a quarter, it feels like more than half in my experience as a pedestrian.
I almost got hit by someone a week ago at a zebra crossing but luckily they managed to hit their breaks in time. It made my heart race.
I once tried to ride one of those Lime bikes and found it too heavy and almost crashed trying to turn. I haven’t dared ride one since – I can only imagine how painful it would be to be hit by one.
I do see regular cyclists obeying the law, however, there are always a few, especially if in full gear I’ve noticed who want to act like it’s their own personal race.
I’m always surprised when a cyclist stop at the red light
Oh my god it’s so many more than 1 quarter, literally 80% in the last 4 years of cycling in north London…
This is how one unlucky cyclist ended up cracking his head on my stationary vehicle. Old fart had his head down as he was struggling to cycle uphill and went through a red light.
This is why I now have a dashcam. Never ever again.
In other news bears seen pooping in woods.
I’m surprised it’s that low.
Had a few years break in regular cycling and the increase in this habit is absolutely enormous. Now you’re easily in the minority if you wait at a light. Too many cyclists are incentivized to not stop. Delivery cyclists paid on number of deliveries made, lime cyclists being charged by the minute, both groups are being encouraged to take risks to save, or make money.
Far more than a quarter and is partly why everyone thinks cyclists are twats
I moved to London last month, I’ve been hit already and now I check multiple times before crossing.
Doesn’t surprise me. I’m all for a bit of pragmatism at lights since cyclists setting off at the same time as cars can be dangerous for cyclists, or there’s little harm in slowly rolling through an empty red to do so (rather than technically abiding by the law by getting off, walking 2m, and getting back on).
But there is no excuse for bombing through lights when there are peds crossing. You knock somebody over at a speed as low as 20mph, they can crack their head and have a serious injury and you can damage your bike. It isn’t worth it for a 5s time save.
Friend of mine watched a red light runner hit another cyclist going on green. Even the bikes aren’t safe.
Just as bad in Brighton but the police do absolutely nothing. Cyclists on footpaths/pavements are also a real danger to pedestrians here.
Only a quarter? Every time there seems to be 3 quarters of cyclist ignoring traffic lights not to mention those speeding through the zebra crossing to my kid’s school.
Also in, 75% of cyclists are liars.
Are they sure they didn’t get the probability the other way around?
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