Survey: 4 in 10 cyclists in Dublin still jumping red lights despite new penalty

With the home office guidance and cyclists safety in mind, in many situations there's no need to jump a red light. If you feel the traffic light controlled junction is potentially dangerous then mount the pavement giving priority to foot pedestrians and navigate the junction slowly and safely until you're clear to rejoin the carriageway. That completely complies with the guidance.

Some may be uncomfortable with that, but you could do it and have a defence to riding on the footpath. The problem is the fixed penalty offence which simply shows 'riding on the footpath' as an offence. With the home office guidance that offence should really be 'riding dangerously on the footpath'. Massive difference.

A lot of motorists see us a nuisance on the road rather than us being seen as vulnerable road users which is why they become irked when already annoyed that we slowed them down for 3 - 5 seconds, get outraged when we pass that solid white line on a red light.

I believe a lot of motorists are content for us riding on the pavement because then we don't slow them down, whether or not it's wrong. And you cannot jump a red light on the pavement.

Probably not possible for many inner city junctions where there are no pavements and I don't have an answer for that, but certainly valid for many junctions. It's just much safer. It's the red light jump that annoys motorists not pavement riding.

Personally, most of the time I just wait at the red light but there have been occasions where I feel it's just too busy and for my own safety mount the pavement and cross the junction. But I slow right down to walking speed and give foot pedestrians right of way.

Why did you not observe the red light, Dave?
You are putting our mission in jeopardy, Dave.

I do wish the authorities, the press and it's seems everyone else would stop mixing up RUNNING a red light which isn't sensible - and waiting at the front of a line of impatient motorists at a red light , seeing the cross lights change to amber with nothing coming and then JUMPING the red light before it turns from red to green to avoid getting swamped by the traffics behind - furious that you are at the front.

I jump red lights whenever I can. It's safer. Especially in a local village where you need to take a right then take the right hand lane when the road splits into a dual carriageway to turn right again at the next lights. I never have and never will run a red light.

I don't jump red lights because it puts cyclists and pedestrians in conflict, but the assertion that it's dangerous for cyclists doesn't stand up to scrutiny: http://www.roadjustice.org.uk/node/28

Between 2001 - 5 only 2 cyclists were killed jumping lights. When this is measured against the statistic that about 80% of cyclist casualties happen at or near a junction that fatality figure looks like a below par score for junctions. Using your own judgement at the lights may be safer.

It seems I'm not the only one who thinks this way. So do the French.

RLJs in Ireland thus proving that arseholes are an international phenomena.

I jump the red light because I can see the other lights are also red so I get the junction free to myself, and avoid losing the traffic light grand prix with the dick in the M3.