This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Taxi driver is just doing his job, you are a menace to society.

Wow, shit luck for you.

Your RLJ is pretty pointless. Why didn't you just stop? No excuse for your slow wobble across, but clearly not dangerous in the slightest. I suppose the plod think they need to show balance in their approach.

As for the taxi driver, I'd hope he's getting the same or more severe treatment. He runs at that light flat out even though you can see it go amber when he's still well short and is full red when he crosses the line.

There's evidence there for both of you to have been fined. The taxi's RLJ at the end is blatant.

However you try and justify your RLJ in your head (slowed, careful, etc) you still RLJed, and sent in self-incriminating proof of your RLJ to the Police.

The video above doesn't prove ASL encroachment by the taxi (just being in the ASL it is not an offence), it all depends on the approach so I'd need to see the footage from before the first lights are red to see whether the taxi could have safely avoided being in that ASL or not.

was the only vehicle on the road, lights were red about 150m ahead of him and he drove into the box. cant be arsed making another video of it, and not the worst thing he did in the clip.

thanks for feedback, sounds like i deserve the fine, annoying as it is. (go that way every day so knew the lights were 2s from changing which is why i didnt come to a complete stop).

sent in self-incriminating proof of your RLJ to the Police.

Only if they can prove who was riding, which they can't.

was the only vehicle on the road, lights were red about 150m ahead of him and he drove into the box. cant be arsed making another video of it, and not the worst thing he did in the clip.

Sure, I guessed as much, I don't need to see it. It was more the point that a vehicle in the ASL box is not automatically guilty of ASL-encroachment (RLJ-ing would be the actual offence).

Any point in contesting it based on this?

I found this go pro, it has footage of a taxi driver breaking the law on it.

Why didn't you hand it in to the police as soon as you found it? You are now guilty of theft.

I think you should accept the fine as punishment for sending the police video of you breaking the law. I mean, really? There's got to be a kind of Darwin award for youtubers. Congrats! You've won a Tarquin Award!

Erm, I bought this go pro on ebay and it had this on the memory card...?

Handling stolen good, tut-tut.

If they can prove it was stolen surely

I found this footage uploaded to a cycling forum and would like to press charges.

I submitted this footage to a Police website alongside a statement saying that it was my footage from me cycling. Now I'd like to somehow disown that.

Good luck.

You grassed yourself up, lol.

You'll get done and the taxi driver won't; the MET will find some pathetic excuse why they can't prosecute. That's how it is in london - they can do no wrong cos "they are the back bone of the city and you don't pay road tax or have insurance".

The video above doesn't prove ASL encroachment by the taxi (just being in the ASL it is not an offence), it all depends on the approach so I'd need to see the footage from before the first lights are red to see whether the taxi could have safely avoided being in that ASL or not.

If it is possible for drivers to avoid going over a stop line at a junction without an ASL then why can't they avoid going into an ASL? I think we just assume sometimes that they can't help it because the junctions busy or whatever but surely you just treat the ASL itself as a stop line until you know you can make it out of a junction?

Was thanked by Merc driver for stopping at a roundabout, even though was their right of way. Then beeped at by a van driver with a thumbs up and 'nice bike mate', don't think was sarcasm. Finally barged by a gam*on in a Wang Wover so balance sort of restored.
In other news, leaves are starting to fall.

commuter_says_no on Instagram. anyone following?

Had to carry this home today. Black cab changing lanes without signalling or looking went straight
into it. Made a nice crunchy sound, very satisfying.

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Many can avoid going into the ASL but unless there's a specific offence (and education) about ever avoiding ending up stopped in an ASL there's no point getting het up about it as no-one is going to care as much as you do.

'a completely nutty one on her Boris bike... Headphones in of course'

No ta.

They're just another example of all the 'small' elements of road layout that just don't work and are slightly annoying. The approach seems to be 'if you can stop before the ASL that's nice, but don't worry about it if it's too much trouble'. I'm not determined to use ASLs, and it's not the biggest concern, I just find them pointless if they don't mean anything.

They may not mean anything in terms of transgression punishment, but do they mean anything in terms of, sometimes (maybe often), allowing cyclists to get ahead of motorised traffic, before the lights go green, making their journey safer?

Surely the latter is more important than the former?

I am also annoyed by the former, by the way.