Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

Me operating a magnificent SPD release fail in front of a bus at the lights on Cambridge Heath Rd / Hackney Rd this morning a measly mile into my morning ride. Somewhere in a garage in Leyton that particular video is surely being uploaded to Youtube. Startling crunching noise from the crank / pedal vicinity as I tried one last panicky twist on my way to the tarmac. Good skillz!

New one this morning - some prat had a go at me *for stopping at a red light *and then couldn't understand what he did wrong as I was trying to explain it to him.

I am disbelieve!

You should just respond by shouting "RED!" at them, whenever they leave a gap in their harangue

^^ Sometimes people are just asking for a kick square in the bollocks! Its a shame that in this "health and safety gone mad" culture we inhabit educating folk in such a way is considered wrong.

returns to reading the daily mail

Some people just have a bad day, and vent at others without thinking. Possibly not the wisest coming back at him with the verbals, but we all act how we act in certain situations, as long as we learn from it then that's cool.
Rep for an honest post.

He's probably filled with rage because he has a Pinarello.

.

Ah...

Sorry about that.

Shouted "RED" at a nodder this morning who kept jumping lights then riding his Bianchi at 10 mph. Whew. Now I feel better.

I want to shout RED every time I see this happen, but I always bottle it.

I shouted RED at about 5 cyclists jumping the light in front of Kennington Station last night. Every single ped looked at me :)

I usually bottle it too, but waiting at that light at 6:20 a.m. in the rain while he went straight through pushed me over the edge (I was already grumpy because a bus not long earlier had blocked the entire ASL box at a red so I found I had nowhere to go after I filtered past).

I almost always keep my mouth shut and just roll my eyes but last night a nodder kept jumping lights down Gower/Bloomsbury St. She finally stopped at the traffic lights on Waterloo Bridge. Some other guy rolled through them and she had the nerve to "Tsk" at him.

I pointed out that I'd just seen her jump 3 sets. The lights changed before she thought of a witty comeback.

The other reason is that very occasionally I RLJ myself, so it would be hypocritical.

I pretty much say nothing either when people roll through, but when you have a few people around you that look like they're twitching to go, I tend to utter 'Really?' glance across and leave it at that. Seems to work mostly.
It's the thousand spoke stare I tell you.

There was some REDing going on on the CS8 thismorning...

I RLJ 70% of the time

and then I troll on this thread to see if someone has mentioned me

Why do you RLJ?

Why do you RLJ?

Why not?

Well along my route there are red lights where they arent supposed to be with no one around most of the times, I always look around before I RLJ and will never harm myself or a pedestrian or anything living and moving on the road. I never jump the pedestrian crossings.

And I am from India. This is health and safety overload for me anyway :P

eg: at Putney rail junction between upper richmond road and putney high st, all the pedestrians are green at one time for around 20 seconds, if ALL the pedestrians have crossed in 10 and I jump the light, is that wrong? 90% of the time a head start is really required.

and why arent pedestrians who jump red lights are blamed? for example at oxford circus?!

Why not?

There are a couple of reasons that I don't do it.

1. Safety
   In the majority of instances I could jump a red light whilst minimising the risk to myself and others. However, some instances may arise that I could not anticipate that would put myself or others at risk.

2. Perception of other road users
   Whilst I may be able to manage the risk of crossing the lights without putting myself or others at risk, this action may give rise to a perception amongst other road users that I believe I am above the law. I prefer not to foster that perception as I believe it increases risk to cyclists as road users in general.

3. Predictability
   This ties to the two points above. When other road users start to act unpredictably it increases the risk of road use to me. Given the expectation that road users should wait at red lights, jumping the light is inherently unpredictable and therefore increases risk.

It can be a bit of a drag waiting at lights, but I commute 30km a day and I would estimate that at most it costs me 10 minutes. Set against the points above, I can tolerate that.

and why arent pedestrians who jump red lights are blamed? for example at oxford circus?!

because we don't have jay walking in this country.

1. Perception of other road users
   Whilst I may be able to manage the risk of crossing the lights without putting myself or others at risk, this action may give rise to a perception amongst other road users that I believe I am above the law. I prefer not to foster that perception as I believe it increases risk to cyclists as road users in general.
   
   

^ This.