Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

Good luck.

I think I'd have trouble not patronising a woman who's quite a bit older than me by saying:

"It's really dangerous to jump red traffic lights, and it also means you get in the way of me, a faster cyclist."

Please advise what I should say. I don't like making my own decisions. FIX MY LIFE PLEASE.

It's not really dangerous to jump red lights (on a bike).
It's illegal.
Riding slowly isn't illegal.

Surely you can outpace her and if not then there's no problem

It's not really dangerous to jump red lights (on a bike).

Oh come on! That depends.

Riding slowly isn't illegal.

Surely you can outpace her and if not then there's no problem

I can outpace her, but having to overtake her multiple times is frustrating. I have no problems with slow cyclists at all. I'm not exactly Chris Hoy myself but if somebody was constantly overtaking me - hell, if they had overtaken me once - and I saw them stopped at lights, I wouldn't push past them, let alone do something illegal to get in front of them and inconvenience them again. And again. And again.

Have you tried howling "RED! IT'S RED! RED!" at her?

Really put some feeling into it, plenty of emotion.

one I have never had the balls to try, is pulling up to somebody at a red who is stopped, but who has jumped the previous one, affecting a foreign accent and pretending not to understand the rules of the road in the UK because "joo are stop at ze red light but joo are not stop at last red light, i am not understand". Yeah that would be funny and not at all dickish.

Shouting "RED! RED! RED!" is a good option. Or "don't worry love, red lights don't apply to you" but that lacks a certain immediacy.

I don't get it. Overtaking another cyclist isn't really that annoying/difficult is it?

Also am I suddenly the only person who habitually jumps red lights? Are you all so law abiding?
(Caveat; pretty much only do this when I know the junction well).
I've been cycling in London for over 20 years and have never been knocked off at a junction (is a roundabout a junction)?

Also falling in line behind a bunch of wobbly commuters queuing at the red is not going to happen - I'm that guy you curse at as I overtake the nodder peleton in the middle of the road and zip up the Old Kent R.

Have you tried howling "RED! IT'S RED! RED!" at her?

Really put some feeling into it, plenty of emotion.

I'd go for this, replacing dan with red

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2D3-FkoXNU

And of course there's a solution to all your woes here...
http://www.lfgss.com/forum49.html

The thing about jumping red lights is not that it's dangerous, or illegal particularly, it's just that you're only given the time and space to do so if all other road users abide by the rules.

Everyone else waits on the red light, giving one rule violator time to break it. If we all broke the rules chaos would ensue so red light jumpers exploit the rule-abiding nature of the majority of road users (cars and peds included) so they can break the rules.

It's a kind of arrogance - you're implicitly saying that everyone else needs to obey but you don't have to.

As far as overtaking goes. It's a small inconvenience, but overtaking the same person multiple times gets frustrating.

Take a pad of post-its with you, every time you pass the person, stick another post-it on them/their bike, until they are looking a bit like an upside down yellow pine cone.

I'd go for this, replacing dan with red

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2D3-FkoXNU

I am against this suggestion.

Shut up red.

Take a pad of post-its with you, every time you pass the person, stick another post-it on them/their bike, until they are looking a bit like an upside down yellow pine cone.

excellent imagery.

RLJ thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This is the RED thread.

I know, I know.

Shameface. I didn't want to go there but I got provoked guv.

The thing about jumping red lights is not that it's dangerous, or illegal particularly, it's just that you're only given the time and space to do so if all other road users abide by the rules.

Everyone else waits on the red light, giving one rule violator time to break it. If we all broke the rules chaos would ensue so red light jumpers exploit the rule-abiding nature of the majority of road users (cars and peds included) so they can break the rules.

It's a kind of arrogance - you're implicitly saying that everyone else needs to obey but you don't have to.

As far as overtaking goes. It's a small inconvenience, but overtaking the same person multiple times gets frustrating.

I could give the Yosarian argument but I know you're (mostly) right.

I guess I've been cycling so long its a habit born in the days when the were very few cyclists on the roads in London and a certain arrogant 'reclaiming of the streets' riding style developed. I actually think mostly its safer to jump the lights, you don't get caught in shenanigans at the off and all the motorists can see you up ahead.
I slow right down going through ped crossings (the only peds I've hit have stepped out on me from behind busses etc) and I'm pretty careful. But also arrogant. Probably.

Ignore her, get on with your own ride. Once you get frustrated, you lose. Pick your pace up and moon her at speed. She might be into Young 'uns! Bike-date-a-cougar!

Ref doppel outpaced-by-cougar-red-light-jumper

Kick her in the spokes.

Chill geezers
It's these people we want on the road and loads more of them!
You're bringing the angry motor culture road rage to the cycle culture. You're the SUV cyclists hooting and bumping anyone in your way.
Chill
This.

Good luck.

This.

I think its time...

On the way back from the TNRC last night, riding with middleofnowhere and Tatty-Viking from Victoria to EC1 at about midnight, there was someone riding like a total douchebag (to use the parlance of the culture he was so clearly trying to emulate).

There was some sort of Rasta colour scheme going on - can't remember if it was bag or clothing; and it was heading east on Theobalds/Clerkenwell Rd. Anyway, if you're on here, you need to learn how to ride a line. Watching you weave and switch round invisible/minor obstacles at the last minute, including into adjoining roads as we passed them, was fucking embarrassing; and disconcerting too. Firstly, you start wondering what the fuck is being 'avoided' up the road when you see people flicking their bikes aggressively, and it's irritating when it turns out to be nothing. Secondly, you force people to overtake excessively widely as they're girding their loins, expecting you to switch a few metres to the right suddenly for no reason whilst you're next to them.

If the intention was to look like a clueless prick on a bike, I'm happy to report that your mission was accomplished. Otherwise, ***please ***learn to ride a line, for everyone's sake.

I think it was a Rasta Timbuk2 bag. Also sporting a mohawk IIRC.

BMMF gliding past this individual whilst doing a snake like weaving motion with his left hand did make me chuckle. I think it might have been too subtle for him to get the message though.

^ I think he (rasta bag, blue frame, silly haircut) might just have been drunk but there is a strange affectation adopted by some riders (of awesome fixies) who seem to think sudden dinks and swerves round manhole covers and shadows demonstrate superior bike handling in a courier stylee. Really it just highlights how slow they are as it's that much more difficult to overtake if the road isn't at least 2 lanes wide.

Will it be easier to ride over shadows if I upgrade to skinny tyres on my commute?