“Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.”
- Douglas Bader
A few weeks back I was driving through Oxford around the train station. In this part of the town there are a preponderance of traffic lights. Almost every 100 yards there is another set of traffic lights. Due to some technical fault – none of the traffic lights were working. Therefore, people had to use their common sense to wait for a few cars and then take it in turns to move through the junction. It worked surprisingly well. People were driving cautiously and with consideration. This was a very small sample, and I’m sure there are good reasons for having traffic lights. But, sometimes you feel when we have so many lights / signs telling us what to do we lose a certain sense of responsibility and common sense.
Cyclists and Traffic Lights.
If you want to wind up some people, just mention cyclists and traffic lights in the same sentence. It is like the tiger in the room, you can always denigrate cyclists because of some inconsiderate people on bikes who break the law and common sense.
There are occasions when I see people cycling through red lights and it is either – very dangerous or very frustrating. For example, turning right through a red light making other traffic halt. Often forgotten is the number of motorists who also speed through red lights. In a way motorists breaking red lights are much more dangerous because at the end of the day, a car is far more likely to cause serious injury than a bike.
There are other lights where you can spend a long time at a light to turn left, even though there is hardly any traffic. If cyclists filter through pedestrian lights when no – one is there or when they filter left through a traffic light when no-one is there, I feel no moral outrage as some do. Common sense is important. The big question is does your road use inconvenience and put other road users at danger? It doesn’t matter if you are a cyclist or motorist, there is a responsibility to consider actions on other road users. The law is usually very helpful in promoting this. But, it is not the be all and end all.
People will say, you always have to obey all the laws, if you can pick and choose which laws to follow what’s the point? It’s a good point. But, even the best laws are limited. There are times when a 70mph limit on a motorway is not so critical. There are other times, when conditions mean it is dangerous to do more than 50mph. As far as I know there is no specific law that says you can’t overtake cyclists and just leave 3 inch. But, common sense and common courtesy would give them more space. But, how many motorists give as much room to cyclists that they would like – if it was them on the bike.
There is a debate about the merits of flashing amber lights. See: BBC article – flashing amber lights – are they safe? On the one hand, it would ease traffic flows and frustration at some lights. On the other hand, reckless drivers may see it as the same as green and potentially cause accidents.
Interesting the BBC article mentions this:
…, there is evidence that traffic lights turned off completely result in no compromise of safety, because drivers take great care in negotiating the junction.
It is interesting because that is what I noticed when traffic lights were turned off in the middle of the busiest junctions in Oxford.
Penalties for Going Through Traffic Lights.
As far as I am concerned, I would be happy for cyclists and motorists to be penalised for going through red lights when it causes potential problems for other road users. But, to give huge fines for going through a light when no-one is in sight, would be like giving a speeding ticket to someone doing 75mph on a motorway. Technically they are both breaking the law, but you want the police to concentrate on serious problems not every technical infringement.
When I was cycling in Central Park, I noted how the park was filled with traffic lights. Whenever they were green, pedestrians were invariably crossing and you had to come to a stop. Whenever they were red no-one seemed to be there and spo people just cycled through them. In many ways, it would have been better to have a different system. i.e. a pedestrian would press a button to request a red light or zebra crossing. But, despite the stupidity of the lights on timer situation, the New York police have been giving many tickets.
The Highway Code states that cyclists “must obey all traffic lights and traffic signals”.
According to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, an illuminated red signal on a Toucan crossing “shall indicate the period during which, in the interests of safety, pedestrians and pedal cyclists should not use the crossing”.
Related
There are numerous statutory criminal offences for driving with disregard for the safety of cyclists – ‘driving without due care and attention’ is one of them. The Highway Code is completely irrelevant. So whenever a motorist causes me any significant danger, I make a note of the vehicle registration and make a phone call to the police shortly after the event. It is my civic duty as a fellow road user to report dangerous driving to the police.
I must also say that in my city, this happens incredibly rarely. I signal and thank motorists frequently, and they seem to be remarkably conscientious in avoiding disturbing me. However, I never stop at red lights and I see nothing wrong with this – I have never once done so in a way which affects any motor vehicle or pedestrian. Sure, I occasionally receive ‘beeps’ of approval from drivers. I simply take these as compliments that they have noticed little old me going about my business. I usually wave back in friendly recognition. Nothing like a friendly smile to take the wind out of a busybody’s sails!
Nonetheless, running a red light is still a strict liability offence. However, I take care not to transgress whenever I can see a pair of constables within sight.
While the Highway Code states that road users should give cyclists plenty of room when over taking, it is a “should” not a “MUST” and therefore isn’t a law and has criminal no offence linked to it. If it were a law, or if the Highway Code rules were enforced in a similar way to laws, motorists might care more about it. But generally I see it as a totally selfish disregard for someone else’s personal safety. Every day I see road users violate rules and laws of the roads, some of them so easy to follow, out of impatience, laziness or a lack of thought and courtesy for anyone that is not themselves. It’s a shame.