The newsreader Jon Snow has attacked cyclists who “behave extremely badly” on the streets, ahead of a road safety conference in Glasgow this week.
Snow, who is President of the Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC) is chairing the Cycling Scotland Conference this Friday at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, discussing how national and local initiatives are helping to increase cycling.
But Snow, a keen cyclist who’s often seen riding to work in London, said he didn’t know a single cyclist who never jumped a red light.
He told Scotland on Sunday: “Cyclists could behave better. At the moment we behave extremely badly, and I don’t know if there are any cyclists who haven’t gone through a red light. You do not get that on the Continent.”
But, he added, separating cars from bikes, and discouraging drivers from urban centres by charging them to enter at peak times, could help improve safety.
“So many people are cycling, especially in urban areas, that a radical rethink is required,” he said.
“Further congestion charging needs to be introduced in every city in Britain to reduce the number of single-occupancy cars and make more space for cycling,” he said.
“The proof of congestion charging is in London, and if used properly, wise Scots would be foolish to reject it.”
John Lauder, director of Sustrans Scotland said: “In Europe, cyclists and car drivers are segregated for much of the time, which helps.”
But he spoke in support of Snow’s comments, saying: “As a noted cycling commuter using the streets of London on a daily basis he is in a good position to comment on high-quality and safe infrastructure for cycling, and also reducing the number of vehicles on city streets through congestion charging.
“Away from constructing and retro-fitting our streets there is much to commend a thorough investigation of congestion charging by local authorities and Transport Scotland.”
A spokeswoman for the Transport Scotland agency said: “Ministers have no plans to introduce road charging now or any time in the future.”
Glasgow City Council said: “The council’s transport policy does not currently include the introduction of congestion charging.
“The policy is, where possible, to use trip-end parking charges to manage demand and reduce commuting journeys to the city centre by private car.”
In 2010 we reported how the Daily Mail ran an article they say exposes CTC president Jon Snow as a serial rule-breaker during a three-mile bike ride from Channel 4 news HQ to his home.
The article, headlined Drivers beware: How news presenter Jon Snow flouts the rules of cycle safety, begins, “As figurehead of a society which represents the interests of Britain’s 20million cyclists, news presenter Jon Snow might be expected to set an example behind the handlebars.
“And indeed he does. A bad one.
“Despite being a vocal campaigner for cycle safety, the 62-year-old flouts the rules with astonishing regularity.”
A photographer at least must have followed the newsreader for the three-mile journey to his home – via a pub quiz – because the article then catalogues a series of transgressions, with supporting photos.
They include not stopping at red lights, riding on the pavement, failing to stop at a box junction to allow an oncoming ambulance to pass, failing to stop at a zebra crossing, and using his mobile while cycling – including apparently sending a text.
And in 2011 we reported comments from Snow, who blamed cyclist behaviour and deaths on poor infrastructure. He said: “..if there were better provision for cyclists on the roads, there would be better behaviour. And if there was better behaviour, those rising numbers of deaths would be reversed.”
62 thoughts on “Jon Snow: cyclists ‘behave extremely badly’ and I don’t know a single one who hasn’t jumped a red light”
I cycled in London for many
I cycled in London for many years, it was always the quickest way to travel. I never jumped a red light, rode the wrong way down a one-way street or cycled on the pavement. I wouldn’t do it in my car, I saw no reason to do it on a bike.
Me, too. It’s bad enough that
Me, too. It’s bad enough that Jon Snow tars every cyclist with the same brush, but for him to be named and shamed as a serial offender really takes the biscuit.
Two things:
Please don’t call
Two things:
Please don’t call him a ‘veteran’ anything. Lazy style, just put his age in the story somewhere and we’ll get the point that he’s an old fart (too).
Secondly, the wine, the food and the weather may all be better ‘on the continent’, but in Switzerland where I live, cyclists jump lights the whole time. I don’t, needless to say.
And thirdly – yes, better infrastructure will improve things for cyclists. But I do not believe that ‘bad behaviour’ leads to road deaths.
I suspect that part of the
I suspect that part of the reason for cyclists jumping red lights is the preponderance of ‘clipless’ pedals. When toeclips & straps were the norm, we rode in traffic with one strap slightly slackened. SPD & Look pedals don’t provide that facility. As cycling has become ‘trendy’ there are many inexperienced and less competent cyclists, like Jon Snow, around. Sadly they are getting the rest of us a bad name.
Grizzerly wrote:I suspect
*Troll of the Week Award* =D>
Well here’s one cyclist he
Well here’s one cyclist he doesn’t know, as I cycle in London daily and always stop at red lights – include the ones solely for peds when there are none waiting to cross. But to be fair a huge number do RLJ and it pisses me off. Depends on where the light is, if at a busy junction most if not all will stop, if at a ped crossing most will go through. ime.
< Rides in SPD shoes, and
< Rides in SPD shoes, and stops at red lights on commutes and leisure/fitness rides. So do most other cyclists I see around and about. And the odd RLJer, well, I just drop 'em on the next stretch. Hard.
Thanks Jon for helping the
Thanks Jon for helping the cause. Not.
I thought you were the head of the CTC which promotes cycling rather as opposed to giving us a bad name.
I never jump red lights. I value and appreciate my mortality and do not want to become another statistic. I ride with clipless pedals and either do a track stand or put my foot down when I have to come to a halt.
As for segregated bike lanes – they just become glorified footpaths and routes for mobility scooters which makes them a no go for anyone who wants to ride their bike at a reasonable speed.
It would of been far better IMHO if he had commented on increasing driver & rider education (and he would not have been caught out).
badback wrote:
I never jump
I have “jumped” red lights twice in my life: at intersections where my bicycle was not being picked up by the sensors. In both cases there was no one else around. So I can be added to the list of vile evil-doers.
On the plus side, I do stop every time, out of common sense and courtesy for other road users. A couple of months earlier at an over-popular holiday lake I experienced a mixture of gratification/irritation/amusement when I stopped per-normal at a pedestrian crossing and heard the crossing people comment that “who’ld have thought it would be a cyclist” as they finally got to inch timidly out onto the zebra crossing.
I have rarely on a segregated bike path which doesn’t make my ride uncomfortable and inconvenient.
I’m happy going through red
I’m happy going through red lights, cycling the wrong way up one-way streets, cycling on the pavement or breaking 20mph speed limits ***if it is safe to do so*** I don’t know why everyone gets so hot under the collar about it, relax a little, we’re all different.
Quote:I don’t know if there
I don’t know any car drivers that haven’t gone through a red light. I don’t know any that don’t routinely travel above the speed-limit. But somehow you don’t hear the AA spokes people flagellating and excoriating motorists.
Hey… I know! John should get some media training!
That’s the underlying agenda here: segregated infrastructure. In this case the line being pushed is “we’re so bad.. save us from ourselves”. Now, I’m not against appropriate segregated infrastructure, e.g. adding physically divided lanes along the side of high-speed dual carriageways, but that’s not what’s need for the majority of cyclists who travel in urban areas. There we need:
1) drivers confined to lower speeds; 2) less drivers (I’ll give Snow points for this one); 3) cyclist training in proper road positioning; 4) the police actually enforcing the existing laws against anti-social behaviour by drivers and removing the large percentage of dangerous, aggresive incompetents from the road.
A lot of cyclist might not
A lot of cyclist might not like this but I have to agree with Mr. Snow on this one.
first off, well done to those who respect the traffic rules and don’t go through red lights, keep it up. I myself don’t go through red lights but there are times when I mistakenly miss judge the timing of the amber to red but then again it happens very rarely
I cycle to work everyday and the amount of cyclist I see or witness beating or ignoring the red light happens (and im not exaggerating) every single day that I go to work. I am actually wearing a head cam and im in the process of making a video compilation of these cyclist going through red lights.
Of course there are plenty of cyclist stopping on reds but there’s always one who will ignore it.
No one cares what he thinks
No one cares what he thinks despite his apparent “self-appointed” status.
Is he working for tfl?
northstar wrote:Is he working
Fixed.
Whenever I see a cyclist on
Whenever I see a cyclist on the pavement, I see a cyclist who has been let down by the infrastructure available to them.
I’m a 40 year old woman, a peculiarity among my friends and colleagues, the majority of whom want to cycle and admire me for being “brave” enough to do so, but they’re afraid of traffic.
They also mostly consider me reckless for allowing my child to cycle on our roads.
Lets stop bickering among ourselves about this and campaign for safe infrastructure that encourages everyone age 5 – 95 to cycle without fear on our streets.
Some of the so called red
Some of the so called red light jumping is cyclists anticipating the lights about to change to green and getting across the junction before the main traffic starts moving. Its much safer when you are first away from a junction as you are less likely to be mowed down by a vehicle trying to immediately overtake, or turning left right in front of you. I admit to jumping occasional red lights when its safer to do so (not often), and only when the light sequence is changing from pedestrian green signal to traffic green signal … there are no cars moving and they can all see you clearly. You MUST be familiar with the light sequence and the junction, all traffic lanes clearly visible and the junction small. NEVER jump a light that is just changing to Red as other traffic may be anticipating the change and not notice you as you cross the junction. I know … I’m going to get flamed for saying this, but those are the ONLY circumstances I have ever jumped Red. What is really required is a Green sequence for cyclists only, so that they can cross the junction ahead of other traffic. 🙂
There are a few lights that I
There are a few lights that I am forced to ignore. They don’t work for cyclists. I’m too light for the pressure switch under the tarmac. So I wait until the coast is clear and then proceed. If they were out for the motorist, that is what they would do.
If the red light is
If the red light is established to be defective (e.g. it’s on a sensor and fails to pick up cyclists), then you may quite legitimately go through it. You treat it as you would an unsigned junction.
Paul J wrote:If the red light
As noted in one of the other posts, traffic sensors work on a magnetic basis (not pressure). If you have a nice shiny carbon bike, there may not be enough metal content for the sensor to activate the signal. Not sure if that would qualify the signal as ‘defective’ or not in the eyes of plod :/
I think you will find that
I think you will find that traffic lights are actuated by magnetic induction loops buried in the asphalt. Some members of the Sudbury Cyclists Union, as in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada have successfully installed permanent magnets presumably near the bottom brackets of their bikes, which will actuate the traffic lights. There are articles on the internet regarding traffic light actuation. At one time in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, the City Board of Works placed small yellow plastic squares on the road surface to mark the location of the inductive loops to aid cyclists. They are quite often visible in the form of rectangular lines in the asphalt filled with tar or similar material. Try riding over them if no cars are around to actuate them.
The question shouldn’t be,
The question shouldn’t be, “is it safe for me to jump this red light”. It should instead be, “is it fair to continue my anti-social behavour, when I know (deep down) that other cyclists will get the flak”.
Headline makes John Snow out
Headline makes John Snow out to be a little more evil than he actually is.
Compare:
HEADLINE
“I don’t know a single one who doesn’t jump red lights”
ACTUAL QUOTE
“I don’t know if there are any cyclists who haven’t gone through a red light.”
A small twist, but enough to increase the frothing at the mouth!
sm wrote:Headline makes John
Seems to be an increasingly common tactic at road.cc…
I don’t know one driver that
I don’t know one driver that hasnt jumped a red light.
Leodis wrote:I don’t know one
EXACTLY!
=D>
Jon Snow: Britain’s answer to
Jon Snow: Britain’s answer to Ron Burgundy.
Just like to add that I
Just like to add that I commute from Gloucestershire 4 days a week (train to Paddington, I hasten to add – not quite up to riding all the way) and I NEVER jump red lights, ALWAYS stop at zebra crossings and do NOT cycle the wrong way down one-way streets. I am not trying to be self-righteous (although I accept it may come across as such to some readers) – I just want to add another POSITIVE slant to the cycling statistics.
I would add that my son has just visited London for the weekend (without a bike) and spotted TWO cyclists jumping red lights and several shaking their heads in admonishment.
Statistically insignificant, I know, but hey, most statistics bandied about in the name of anti-cycling are much the same … 😐
So based on various articles,
So based on various articles, comments in the media, press releases and so on, I think I’ve got it…
1) “Cyclists” can be considered as one group and basically identical, everyone from Sir Bradley down to that kid on a BMX who “nearly killed me”. The actions of one can safely be applied to all. Should you see a cyclist RLJ-ing, it means they all do it.
2) Motorists can basically do no wrong and can usually be described in Government press releases as “hard-working” (or sometimes “hard pressed”). Should you see a motorist RLJ-ing, immediately visit Specsavers, you must have been mistaken and it was probably a very fat cyclist.
3) Where a motorist kills a cyclist, it’s probably the fault of the no-good cyclist who doesn’t pay road tax, probably wasn’t wearing a helmet or hi-vis and by riding a bike was “asking for it” (note for editors – do not apply this logic to women walking home late at night who get raped, it doesn’t work well).
4) Where a cyclist injures a pedestrian (or comes close to injuring them, or commits any sort of crime whatsoever), we can safely call for all cyclists to be licensed/insured/taxed/MOT’d/helmeted/shot*
*mix and match as applicable
5) If ever a sound bite is needed about “cyclists” (who are all one group remember), ask a celebrity, ideally catching them off guard. It helps if that celebrity is known to ride bikes or at least own one but this is not a requirement. Should the celebrity not come out with exactly the right response, misquote them until the response is what you want it to be.
I think that covers it – any more that I’ve missed?
Hmmm. I think those that get
Hmmm. I think those that get hung up about us being ‘a collective’ are wasting their breath. People will stereotype loose collectives regardless of what you say so move on.
In respect to Snow, he’s just saying ‘let he that is without sin cast the first stone’. Basically as human beings we are born hypocrites. BUT that if we try to live a good life (I.e. We respect the laws of the road in the main) the world is a better place. A good lesson for a Sunday.
Incidentally went to the World Track Cycling today which was great fun. However I was pretty horrified at the mess Manchester had made of its roads with cycle lanes and tram lines. You’d only want to ride fatties up there.
Colin Peyresourde wrote:Hmmm.
No. Why should we subscribe to a hive mind?
We’re all individuals. Unless you’re saying that you’re happy to be the scapegoat for another’s crime?
“Basically as human beings we are born hypocrites” is the most nonsensical nonsense I’ve seen written on here. It shows you have little to no understanding of psychological development and just wanted to say something grand and bold to make the comment look clever.
If Manchester has a problem – fight for better. In fact go out and see how other Euro nations do it.
Lastly – given that Snow was “exposed” (I use that term loosely as the papers failed to give much evidence) as a serial law breaker in your own estimation he should not have commented.
downfader wrote:
“Basically
Sounds exactly what you are trying to do. Especially with your last comment about Manchester (“If Manchester has a problem – fight for better”). So you’ve rather proved my point (or at least Jon Snow’s/Jesus’s point, which you again wilfully ignore) by being a hypocrite yourself. No one is perfect and we are all likely to have transgressed a law here and a law there. At least Snow is in a position to try and change things in Manchester and elsewhere.
And who ever said anything about a hive mind? You seem to fail to understand human psychology if you don’t understand how human beings are naturally reductive about the world around them in order to understand it – stereotyping is effectively that. I’m not accepting guilt for anyone, but if you want to change the attitudes of ‘non-cyclists’ (to choose a reductive term, which also lumps people whom don’t need their mind changing) I take personal responsibility for my actions to try to show that we are not all RLJ, that we can share the road safely and legally.
Colin Peyresourde
“And who ever said anything about a hive mind?” you did. You assumed we all behave the same.
If you want to call me a hypocrite, fine. If you’d rather fight for better standards and legal protection then that would be much more effective than trolling like some brainwashed 10-cent’er.
Remember – what you and others see may not be the full picture. Look wider, read the studies, collect effective and unbiased evidence yourself, if you do not then you’re also part of the problem and substantiating the preconceptions of noncyclists who look to confirm their own prejudices.
The last paragraph of the
The last paragraph of the article sums it up largely.
+1 crazy legs and yes I do
+1 crazy legs and yes I do get fed up with the lazy stereotyping in the media. The bicycle in central London is primarily a means of transportation and little else but somehow we’re all one tribe….
Thanks Jon for encouraging
Thanks Jon for encouraging the prejudice and bullying! You can take your guilt complex elsewhere.
This is the result of such comments:
I got beeped at today for not riding onto a roundabout, when there was a car coming in from the right and screamed at by someone for not ‘getting out of the way, you’re on a bike’ + 2 close passes (less than a foot) when sitting in a right turn filter lane…
These people need re-educating, not supporting – their ill-informed prejudice is spoiling riding and putting off newer riders (and the growth which will make it safer).
I’d like to hear his estimate of how many people when they’re driving have never broken a law. Bearing in mind a motor vehicle will cause much more damage than a bike when it hits something else e.g. a human body
Brooess wrote:Thanks Jon for
Yawn
I don’t agree with anything
I don’t agree with anything snow has said, red light jumping, behaving badly, more congestion charging. All sounds very London centric, maybe he needs to look in the mirror before he speaks again and when talking about cyclists use I instead of we if it is him who behaves badly and jumps red lights.
I missed the piece in 2010
I missed the piece in 2010 but funny how the Daily Mail used photographs instead of video to capture Jon Snow’s breaches of traffic law. While it looks conclusive, none of it is. A still image shows no continuity. He could of been getting into a safe move-off position at the red lights and while crossing the solid white line on red is an offence lets be realistic here. He could of been anticipating green knowing the sequence and began to very slowly move off (something many vehicle drivers do) or he could have passed the light on green or amber (too close to stop) which then changed to red as as he passed. The pavement riding could be him preparing to dismount/mount, again something many cyclists do. This is the Daily Mail we are talking about…. nuff said.
back on track, a lot of what he says makes sense, but he’s discredited himself by stereotyping the majority of cyclists as bad.
Cyclists going through red
Cyclists going through red lights knowingly? Must be all those poor performing carbon wheels…another reason for the switch to disc brakes 🙂
I blame cyclists addiction to kinetic energy…
Of all people, Jon Snow
Of all people, Jon Snow should know how sensible comments can be taken out of context and used to twist the message. A simple change from “cyclists” to “some cyclists” or “many cyclists” would have made all the difference.
Is there a definative
Is there a definative description of a red light jumper?
1. Poor unfortuante sod who was not able to stop before crossing the white line as the lights change? That would be me on cold wet or carbon wheels, then!
2. The frustrated F1 driver setting off a touch early? Er, that might be me.
3. Or the absolute ****. Despite being to able to stop from 40mph, put the hand brake on and take the car out of gear. They sailled through the red light as if it wasn’t there. Totally oblivious to the fact that traffic was having to stop to avoid them. Not once, not twice but three times.
Jon Snow is absolutely
Jon Snow is absolutely correct with his comments B-)
the state of cyclists (whether experienced, novices or Boris Bikers) using the road in London is absolutely f*cking shocking!!
if anyone in authority ever bothered to do a proper clamp-down on cyclists ignoring road traffic safety, they’d net a huge amount in fixed penalty notices just in a single day, let alone a week.
Financial penalties are probably the only way to get the attention of these dim-witted individuals who put lives in danger with their arrogance and stupidity.
When I speak to many colleagues in the bike industry here in London, we are frustrated by this issue because it simply puts lives in danger, and gives a wealth of ammunition to the “anti cycling” brigade
The problem is that; when a large number of cyclists act like complete c*nts on the highway, why should pedestrians or motorists ever respect our law-given right to “use the highway” ? (which motorists do not have, they are granted an exemption through the vehicle and driver licensing scheme).
Watching a guy on a ‘no logo’ fixie jump the light and motor through pedestrians crossing on a green light, missing several by inches, does NO ONE any favours. When I then overtake this fool I will always give him a piece of my mind because he needs a proper education, and some humiliation is the first step to changing his attitude.
Funny thing is, the cyclists moaning about bad drivers are often the ones wearing fluro safety gear, flashing lights, sam brown belts, bells and whistles yet still jumping the lights or riding across pavement; I come into contact with too many of these people during my daily commute through London.
I am fed up with riding against idiots on bikes trying to squeeze between me, a taxi on my left and the right kerb on a one-way street in Covent Garden.
but, where are the Police? don’t see them out there….just a majority of cyclists jumping red lights, riding onto the pavement around red lights, riding on the pavement as part of their regular ride, riding at light with no lights, riding against one-way traffic on one-way streets, etc.
please can someone film what is going on in London at the major junctions, and bring it to the attention of the authorities so we are just not relying on hear-say and recollections but have some hard evidence captured on film.
There was a comment a while
There was a comment a while ago on a related story from a Dutch traffic engineer who’d said (in response to a moan about British cyclists jumping lights) “then your infrastructure is wrong”.
Basically implying that if you put in proper cycle-specific infrastructure (as opposed to the half hearted bollocks we get foisted on us at the moment) then cyclist won’t feel the need to jump lights.
Now I admit that a lot of cyclists RLJ-ing are doing so out of pure selfishness and I acknowledge that there are differing degrees of RLJ from ploughing through regardless, scattering pedestrians in your wake to a cautious-edge-forward-and-go-if-clear. But there are also a number of cyclists who RLJ because it’s safer (for them) and more convenient to other road users (ie getting out of the way of the F1 starting grid behind them). I put myself into the latter category.
But the point still remains that I shouldn’t be *forced* into that, either by the bad design and layout of the road or because of the inconsiderate drivers behind who are going to try and drive through me as they race away from the lights.
And in answer to hampstead_bandit’s trolling above…
Do that with drivers. You’d solve the National Debt inside of a week.
@crazy-legs
London has a
@crazy-legs
London has a great ANPR system which is linked into mobile Police patrol vehicles and also the 1000’s of CCTV cameras on the streets; many of which sit conveniently on top of masts at traffic junctions (you can spot them if look above the traffic lights at many junctions).
If you speak to the Police (I used to work for them, and still have contacts within the Police both Met and BTP ) they catch a surprising amount by ‘fishing’ through the ANPR system, including offenders with outstanding warrants.
the problem with lawless cyclists?
motorized vehicles have V.I.N. (numberplates to the layman).
cyclists do not have any such identification, except for the Boris bikes which carry a frame I.D. on their chassis and vehicle number on the plastic fairings.
good luck tracking down a private bicycle with no V.I.N. 🙁
hampstead_bandit
You need to check your facts with your Police mates
The VIN is the Vehicle Identification Number which is located on the top of the dashboard scuttle at the base of the windscreen, and in various other locations around a motor vehicle, you’d be hard pressed to get that with ANPR. Whilst the VRN, (see below) may change the VIN remains constant. Most bicycles have an equivalent which is the Serial Number normally to be found on the bottom bracket.
What you mean is the VRN, Vehicle Registration Number, which is displayed on the ‘number plate’. Bicycles don’t have an equivalent because the VRN is used to register the vehicle for vehicle excise duty which is not payable for bicycles.
hampstead_bandit
“Great ANPR”?
So why is London one of the highest rates for uninsured drivers in the UK?
Why aren’t these drivers held more rigorously to account for speeding, illegal parking and running red lights?
Cyclists are held to account via FPNs in London. There are several operations each year now where hundreds are stopped by the Police, most are given FPN fines, but some do end up in court.
Don’t judge the rest of the country by London. And even in London (I have visited many times) the majority still follow the law.
It’s 6.00am on a quiet
It’s 6.00am on a quiet Sunday, on my way for a cycle in the country. Approach familiar set of lights, with clear view of junction, nothing on the road at all, and I continue through red. Who hasn’t done that? If not, why not? Not exactly the crime of the century, and I can’t see how that is anti-social either. Car drivers who don’t cycle on the road will always hate cyclists, period. Get used to it, ride assertively, and with common sense.
I don’t know if there are any
I don’t know if there are any cyclists who haven’t gone through a red light. You do not get that on the Continent.
Totally untrue. Maybe in Copenhagen or Amsterdam but I also know someone in the former who would never dream of driving drunk but cycles drunk fairly frequently. In most European cities, RLJ is as common as in the UK from my experience, the only difference is that in London, it can be significantly busier with far worse infrastructure so it’s a bit more obvious.
Mmmm…let me think about
Mmmm…let me think about this for a second…oh that’s right, the only time I jump a red light is when the twit driving a motor vehicle right behind me has made no attempt to stop for it…so yes I have jumped the odd light over the years or risk being turned in to a bonnet ornament!!
OK, initial rant over and done with, but this has always been my caveat for over 30yrs…I will always stop at a red traffic light (delineating a road junction), with the caveat that the idiot driving the whatever behind me intends to do the same because sometimes there is no “escape lane” to hide in and the pavement is covered by metal barriers 4ft tall.
Yes Jon Snow is right, that there are far too many cyclists jumping red lights for any of us to be satisfied with BUT the one question that I fail to see or hear is why…??
Sometimes it is just about the arrogance of the cyclists concerned trying to never stop unless forced to do so but other times it can be that there is nowhere safe for a cyclist to start off from at the traffic lights because the design of the road is both crap and potentially unsafe…we’ve all seen them with traffic/speed calming width restrictions or going from two lanes in to one on the other side of the junction etc with no thought from the Highways Authority concerned. Sorry but until ALL Highways Authorities are actually charged with “proving” that their road designs are safe for cyclists prior to any construction work is carried out then these junctions will carry on being built and only when it is proved that they are unsafe will changes be made…after some cyclist (or even pedestrian) has been injured or even worse! So some jump red lights to reduce the risk of being run over from astern!
bloody idiot.
as someone who
bloody idiot.
as someone who should be promoting cycling why didnt he say
“i dont know a single motorist who hasnt jumped a red light”
(or, “i dont know a single motorist who hasnt squeezed through an amber light as it turned red)….
Hi to you all out there. Jon
Hi to you all out there. Jon Snow certainly does not know me,so his statement of … said he didn’t know a single cyclist who never jumped a red light.
Well Jon. I wish to introduce myself.
I have never jumped a Red Light on a bike,never never ever have I.
Why? Because I am not stupid and I value my life and my well-being more than the need to prove that I am a hero.
The cemetery is full of them.
Sharp contrast between the
Sharp contrast between the heading of the article here and the Mail article.
I don’t believe the infrastructure argument. You could build all you want but first let’s try and make the best of what’s already there and exhausting the current possibilities.
The best solution is actually reducing cars on the road. Short of HGV or Trucks to transport goods there’s little reason for a civilian to drive a car.
I’ve never jumped a red
I’ve never jumped a red light, but I don’t know Mr Snow either; both of these things I am quite proud about.
Mr Snow keep your opinions to yourself. ~X(
Iam a cyclist and i’ve never
Iam a cyclist and i’ve never jumped a red light, they are generally to high off the ground to get over, whereas i have vaulted a bollard.
Sorry, just thought i would add a bit of humour. #o
If I ran a red light at any
If I ran a red light at any point of my commute, I’d get hit by the traffic with right of way!
Given that I’ve been cycling
Given that I’ve been cycling for at least 35 years including childhood, I can’t say I’ve never jumped a red light.
So which is the correct
So which is the correct quote? Your headline
‘behave extremely badly and I don’t know a single one who hasn’t jumped a red light’
or the body of the text (also in quotation marks)
‘and I don’t know if there are any cyclists who haven’t gone through a red light.’
The meanings and intonations are very different so perhaps this is just a case of journalists twisting things to get a reaction and provoke a load of comments.
British journalism is either in question, or is it interpretation of the English language?
And on the continent have
And on the continent have they had to resort to congestion charging to make cycling safer? Congestion charging or raising parking charges will cause more people to boycott town centres adding to the decline of the town centre economy as if it wasn’t bad enough already.
jazzdude wrote:And on the
So what you are saying is to congest the town centres even more till the places are completely deadlocked with parking and traffic. As if this will improve town centre economies.
The Markenlei Youtube
The Markenlei Youtube channel, with dozens of videos about cycling in the Netherlands, includes a video where London cycling is observed from a Dutch cyclists’ perspective.
It’s here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LcADYelq6c
In it, he depicts a “typical London commuter” performing an RLJ on a bicycle, and comments it as an inevitable tactic necessary for the cyclist’s own safety. Not a matter of laziness, lawlessness or impatience, but an inevitable consequence of a crap environment for people on bicycles.
I never jump red lights, but I have been run over a disturbingly large number of times by drivers, while cycling in a city centre (at least one of which was himself jumping a red light). I now wonder if I would have been rushed to hospital somewhat fewer times if I had selectively disobeyed the red light law?
And 99% of drivers break the
And 99% of drivers break the speed limit when they think it is safe and they won’t be caught. I am sure speeding drivers are far more of a danger.
Clearly, Jon Snow knows
Clearly, Jon Snow knows nothing.