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Man fined £220 for cycling through red lightred traffic light.jpg

Man fined £220 for cycling through red light

The Institute of Advanced Motorists has responded by saying the UK should consider changing the law to allow cycling through some red lights
by Laura Laker
Thu, Jul 28, 2016 12:24
38

A man was ordered to pay £220 this week for cycling through a red light, prompting the Institute of Advanced Motorists to call for bicycles to be allowed to ride through some red lights.

32-year-old Jurjys Renins was fined £220 for failing to stop at a red signal in Norwich city centre, as well as a £22 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.

Police district commander Superintendent Dave Marshall has urged cyclists to stop at red lights for their own safety, particularly if going straight at crossroads.

Denmark cyclists allowed to turn right at red lights

He told the Eastern Daily Press: “This is a significant issue. It’s extremely dangerous because vehicles travelling through green lights don’t expect to see cyclists going through ahead of them.”

Supt Marshall said the offence also causes “a lot of upset between motorists and cyclists.”

However, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) told road.cc though all road users should respect the law, the UK should consider allowing cycles to proceed through certain red lights, as Denmark has done.

Bicycles turning right on red was found not to increase collision rates after a two year trial on 33 Danish junctions, and the movement will become legal from 1 September on those junctions.

Martin Woodhouse, Norfolk and Norwich branch secretary of the IAM, said of cyclists jumping lights: “They are breaking the law but perhaps we should be looking at amending the interpretation of the law to make it safe for them to do so in certain circumstances.

“Cyclists going through red lights are probably more of a danger to themselves than anyone else. If they have a collision with a car, it’s them who is going to come out of it worse off.”

Norwich Cycling Campaign secretary, Margaret Todd, said there needs to be more enforcement for all traffic offences, not just for cyclists.

“We think there has been a drop in traffic enforcement. We don’t think cyclists should be treated any differently,” she said.

Red lights
Norwich
Institute of Advanced Motorists

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38 comments

Avatar
brooksby replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
3 likes

unconstituted wrote:

The ridiculousness of a cyclist sitting at a red light, especially a ped crossing, when there is no one around for miles. Though watching automatons get irrate about it is good craic.

It *really* winds them up if you slow on amber  and then stop for the red light, too - most motorists think that's when they should be accelerating...

Avatar
Dnnnnnn replied to brooksby | 7 years ago
3 likes

brooksby wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

The ridiculousness of a cyclist sitting at a red light, especially a ped crossing, when there is no one around for miles. Though watching automatons get irrate about it is good craic.

It *really* winds them up if you slow on amber  and then stop for the red light, too - most motorists think that's when they should be accelerating...

The danger is that's when they do accelerate. And they're looking at the lights rather than the cyclist who's stopping for the amber. It's one of my pet fears, so I'm an amber gambler.

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to brooksby | 7 years ago
1 like
brooksby wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

The ridiculousness of a cyclist sitting at a red light, especially a ped crossing, when there is no one around for miles. Though watching automatons get irrate about it is good craic.

It *really* winds them up if you slow on amber  and then stop for the red light, too - most motorists think that's when they should be accelerating...

I never stop on amber as I can't be certain the car behind me is stopping. Therefore ( with no brake light) it would be unsafe to stop.

Avatar
ggeoff replied to wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
0 likes

wycombewheeler wrote:
brooksby wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

The ridiculousness of a cyclist sitting at a red light, especially a ped crossing, when there is no one around for miles. Though watching automatons get irrate about it is good craic.

It *really* winds them up if you slow on amber  and then stop for the red light, too - most motorists think that's when they should be accelerating...

I never stop on amber as I can't be certain the car behind me is stopping. Therefore ( with no brake light) it would be unsafe to stop.

When I am a car driver I am reluctant to stop at amber as drivers behind could crash into me. I make a habit of rolling forward as I intend to stop, lights or roundabouts, or give way signs. As a cyclist I would be even more wary of stopping with following traffic.  But at least you can be very close to the kerb.

Avatar
DanielSamuels | 7 years ago
3 likes

If it's a pedestrian crossing, but everyone has finished crossing and it's obvious that no-one else is going to cross, I see no reason not to just continue riding (excluding the fact that it's a red light, of course).

Avatar
Ush | 7 years ago
2 likes

It's not just Denmark.  This very august publication reported on Paris coming to the very same conclusion

http://road.cc/content/news/157275-cyclists-paris-allowed-ignore-red-tra...

Avatar
handlebarcam | 7 years ago
24 likes

£220 for cycling through a red light? In North Wales you can paralyse 2.75 cyclists for that!

Avatar
brooksby replied to handlebarcam | 7 years ago
2 likes

handlebarcam wrote:

£220 for cycling through a red light? In North Wales you can paralyse 2.75 cyclists for that!

That was my first thought before I even read the article! (just the headline)

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