Why do cyclist insist on breaking the law?

[silentbutdeadly]

The simple answer is "...because they can". The rest is just excuses to make them feel better. Same goes when those cyclists are car drivers.

At traffic lights I claim the lane completely so there's not much need to run the light since I'm part of the traffic. That all said...I'm in a regional city...not a capital city. However, the principle remains the same.

 

[wilddemon]

Running the Red

I believe there is some scope for revision in traffic laws to make greater allowances for cyclists in order to make the most of their ability to keep moving through traffic without increasing risk for other road users. One major thing that would be extremely easy to implement would be allowing bikes to make a left turn on red; treat the light as a stop sign, observe traffic and proceed when safe - precisely the manner in which most currently illegal red-running is done.

You might find this article very interesting.
http://thecityfix.com/blog/paris-allows-cyclists-to-run-red-lights/

 

[harmonix1234]

Answer - They are breaking the law because they are a f*cktard.

Just yesterday I screamed at a cyclist who ran a red light and then got himself jammed up at the intersection as the lights changed.

I yelled out "Hey D*ckhead, that's A F*CKING RED LIGHT! It's wankers like you that give the rest of us a bad name"! he was too cool to acknowledge the fat guy on the roubaix.
He was a hipster on a fixie with tight jeans and roy orbison sunnies wearing one of those gay-as tshirts with the super big V neck like it was straight outta sports girl. Helmetless.

Dickhead blocked up the traffic trying to trackstand in the middle of the intersection while the lights changed and then the next run of traffic couldn't move because fixie tard was too cool to move for mere traffic.

Wanker.

If you live in hobart and ride a bright orange fixie and have one of those haircuts like this...

Your'e a retard and harmonix hates you.

 

[dain2772]

If its a car then motorist thinks "hmmm dickhead" but if its a cyclist then motorist thinks "fnkcin cyclists" as if we all ran that red.

this to me is the big issue we are up against. stupid behaviour by another motorist (as a motorist) doesn't really impact our lives. Sure some people might have something against commodores/taxis/p-platers/utes/tradies etc, but nothing really happens. The angst against cyclists is an irritation at best, an injury (or worse) at worst.

 

[SummitFever]

That paris red light article is very interesting and I've certainly witnessed enough cars running red lights without knowing to provide anecdotal support for what it claims.

I'd love to live in an ideal world where I could ride on the road and obey the road rules without getting killed or seriously injured. Unfortunately, I don't. I live in a world where the best attitude to take when riding on the road is that everyone is out to kill you and that you should never put yourself in a position where you have to rely on someone else obeying the road rules. I cross intersections when there is no chance of a collision. I don't care what the state of the lights is. This may annoy some motorists "on principle" but the reality is I'm not driving a deadly weapon so I'm not risking anyone's life other than my own. I also firmly believe that riding in this way is no where near as risky as relying on the protection of road rules. There's no protection for a cyclist in road rules. There's possibly a cause of action for you or your widow.

 

[Hugor]

I don't subscribe to the notion that every cyclist on the road is an embassador to the sport. If a driver wishes to tarnish all cyclists with the same brush based on one riders behaviour, frankly its their problem.
If another cyclist chose to offer me unsolicited advice regarding traffic rules I'd be inclined to provide him with a free but fairly comprehensive character reference.
Lets see what that doees for the image of the sport.

 

[wilddemon]

I don't subscribe to the notion that every cyclist on the road is an embassador to the sport. If a driver wishes to tarnish all cyclists with the same brush based on one riders behaviour, frankly its their problem.

Actually, I see it as all cyclists' problem. That the motorist doesn't discern any difference between, say, Lance and Mother Theresa, could mean that Mother Theresa gets shaved and comes off because Lance was being an alpha PED user.

If another cyclist chose to offer me unsolicited advice regarding traffic rules I'd be inclined to provide him with a free but fairly comprehensive character reference.

Point taken. I won't give you advice (directly) regarding traffic rules.

Lets see what that doees for the image of the sport.

Let's see what "what" does? Not giving a shit? Probably nothing positive IMO.

 

[The Duckmeister]

You might find this article very interesting.
http://thecityfix.com/blog/paris-allows-cyclists-to-run-red-lights/

Thanks for that. Good read. :smile:

 

[racebmx]

When I was 18 or 19 I recieved a traffic fine from qld police in mt isa for rumning a red light on my bmx bike. But officer the light iwas looking at was green. Son you were looking at the wrong set of lights. 60$ later and I still do it. Pointless story. Sorry guys start flaming me.

 

[MARKL]

Unfortunately human nature is fairly hypocritical, everyone does it "breaking the speed limit by 'x' is ok; breaking it by 'y' your a hoon that should never be allowed near a set of keys again". Speeding up to go through an orange light is acceptable, treating a red light like a stop sign on a bike is suicidal....

However at the end of the day we are the bottom of the food chain on roads and we have to display the sort of respect to other road users (and the rules) that we would like them to display to us. And unfortunately if one of us acts like a dick it reflects on all of us in the same way that truck drivers, bus drivers, lebs, asians, indians volvo drivers, old people, p platers etc reflect on the rest of their cohort...

 

[Rob_74]

Interesting discussion...

I never drive through red lights in a car, I often sneak a left hand turn through a red light on a bike when there is no traffic, and often jay walk or walk across red lights, why because I can and I think risk is quiet low... now I guess u can start flaming me...

I still hate when i see the "crazy" bike couriers who seem to huge risk running the lights in the cbd

 

[stoo]

When I was a courier I rarely stopped at a red light, so?
As you said the risk was very low because I looked first, never had any problem.
The other risk was the $20 fine, these days it's much higher so I rarely run a red one.
I try to avoid riding on the road because I'll be knocked down by dickhead Ballarat drivers....

 

[frensham]

OP question should read: Why do SOME cyclists insist on breaking the law? Lots don't. Personally I couldn't give a flying f%#k what other cyclists do and I could care even less about earning the respect of other road users. I'm not there to make people like me because of my actions, I'm there because I need to get from A to B. If I was in a car I would think nothing of doing 70 in a 60 zone. I would think nothing of not stopping completely at a stop sign, I would think nothing of failing to indicate a lane change, I would think nothing of answering that mobile phone. Bottom line is that nearly all adult cyclist are also motor vehicle drivers. Why should we expect them to have a different approach just because of the vehicle they are in control of? And while we are at it, just how many cyclists ride through a red light blindly, without almost coming to a stop, without weighing up the traffic/risks etc? It's a perfectly valid approach to maintaining efficiency and momentum. So much so that enlightened cities like Paris and US States like Idaho have recognised that bicycles can view red lights as stop signs and stop signs as give way signs with a high degree of safety.
To the "Speed Cameras are a tax" quote: This is a tax you don't have to pay if you OBEY the road rules - pretty simple eh?

It's not really ok for any person in control of any vehicle to break the rules - it is human nature to do it, and WE ALL do it. If we get caught we should accept the consequences.

 

[MARKL]

Personally I couldn't give a flying f%#k what other cyclists do and I could care even less about earning the respect of other road users. I'm not there to make people like me because of my actions, I'm there because I need to get from A to B.

You are confusing 'respect' and 'like'. Car drivers don't 'like' anyone...but they go closer to 'respect' for the B double that will squash them like a fly. If other road users respect the rights of cyclists to be on the road it will improve your chances of you getting from A to B.

 

[AngryDave]

They 'respect' the dude in the B double and don't fuck with him.

A relly of mine drives trucks from Adelaide to Alice springs. Having gone with him a dozen or so times as a kid, I can tell you, they don't respect the poor, sleep deprived bugger in the B double and certainly fuck with him. When some people get behind the wheel, all courtesy, patience and common sense gets left behind.

My motto when out on the roads, be it bike or car - assume every other person out there is a fucking idiot. They are all arseholes who will pull into your stopping space, cut you off, sit just above the speed limit, sit just below the speed limit, sit nowhere near the speed limit in the right hand lane, run red lights, sit at the lights and only put their right indicator on once the lights have gone green, tailgate, speed, drive drunk, take corners too fast and drift into the oncoming lane, never check their blind spot, never indicate, and otherwise act in a fashion which would most likely see them fail their licence test and be banned from driving for life for being such a clueless numpty.

And as for cyclists running red lights, please, don't. I don't want to be the one scraping you off my bumper when you make that slight miscalculation.

 

[AngryDave]

Moar rant

And as for the wank idea of cyclists paying rego I've seen crop up on some of these links, allow me to say f*** that s***. I'm choosing to ride my bike instead of driving and adding to the already congested roads, polluting the air and damaging the road surface. The government should be PAYING ME to ride my bike instead of driving.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

My motto when out on the roads, be it bike or car - assume every other person out there is a fucking idiot. They are all arseholes who will pull into your stopping space, cut you off, sit just above the speed limit, sit just below the speed limit, sit nowhere near the speed limit in the right hand lane, run red lights, sit at the lights and only put their right indicator on once the lights have gone green, tailgate, speed, drive drunk, take corners too fast and drift into the oncoming lane, never check their blind spot, never indicate, and otherwise act in a fashion which would most likely see them fail their licence test and be banned from driving for life for being such a clueless numpty.

Dave might be angry (and possibly a poor speller but a decent editor) but he's also spot on...if you assume that everyone is a dickhead and work accordingly then things should go just fine. Sadly.

 

[MasterOfReality]

My motto when out on the roads, be it bike or car - assume every other person out there is a fucking idiot. They are all arseholes who will pull into your stopping space, cut you off, sit just above the speed limit, sit just below the speed limit, sit nowhere near the speed limit in the right hand lane, run red lights, sit at the lights and only put their right indicator on once the lights have gone green, tailgate, speed, drive drunk, take corners too fast and drift into the oncoming lane, never check their blind spot, never indicate, and otherwise act in a fashion which would most likely see them fail their licence test and be banned from driving for life for being such a clueless numpty.

This perfectly describes my daily commute along Moggill Road except you forgot the drivers that really slow down when approaching a green light then nail it when the light turns orange, leaving everyone else stranded at the red.

I don't ride on this road, I value my life too much.

Hence why most cyclists behave themselves on this fantastic piece of road - to do otherwise would be at their own peril.

 

[Big JD]

It's not really ok for any person in control of any vehicle to break the rules - it is human nature to do it, and WE ALL do it - Quote.


Edit - it was not what he was saying and my response was excessive
NO WE DONT -................................................................................................................................... Cyclists are on the bottom of the food chain on the roads - why would anyone intensionally put themselves in a lower position is beyond me. Once again common sense is key and the OP was talking about major infringements that put people in danger

This topic has been done to death and the last thread ended with so many of you stating your god given right to do what ever the f*ck you want. That you dont care what anyone else does or thinks of you.

You cant debate with people like that - they have the right to think/ behave how ever they like.

edit for rambling...........................................

This will go no where as usual

 

[Big JD]

Dave might be angry (and possibly a poor speller but a decent editor) but he's also spot on...if you assume that everyone is a dickhead and work accordingly then things should go just fine. Sadly.

agreed - to ride defensively often requires a degree of action/attack/extreme visability.