Horror story on the way in. <www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/men/news/s/227/227043 _crane_worker_falls_to_death.html>
On the way back I find two cars, one having T-boned the other at some crossroads. How do they do this when the junction is controlled by traffic lights???<-- rhetorical question
Two minutes later a car drives into a stationary double decker bus: Bus stops at bus stop; car stops behind bus, decides it can't wait and attempts to drive around bus. Car fails to do the 'around' bit. Front of bonnet clears back of bus, side of car hits rear-corner of bus. A dazzling display of incompetance.
Horror story on the way in. <www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/men/news/s/227/227043 _crane_worker_falls_to_death.html>
On the way back I find two cars, one having T-boned the other at some crossroads. How do they do this when the junction is controlled by traffic lights???<-- rhetorical question
Yes, unfortunately some cars can spontaneously turn into bikes when approaching red traffic lights, then the momentum forces the driver/rider across the line before it turns back into a car and crashes with the car in the conflicting stream of traffic.
It's the only explanation. After all, only bikes and all bikes jump all red lights.
Ambrose Nankivell wrote on 01/11/2006 15:37 +0100:
Quoted message said:
Yes, unfortunately some cars can spontaneously turn into bikes when approaching red traffic lights, then the momentum forces the driver/rider across the line before it turns back into a car and crashes with the car in the conflicting stream of traffic.
Seriously many moons ago when my biker XYL was learning to drive the instructor slammed on the anchors as she was overtaking. The problem she had not appreciated was she was no longer on a bike and the left hand side of the car avec instructor was about to try to occupy the same phase space as the parked car.
-- Tony
"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
Yes, unfortunately some cars can spontaneously turn into bikes when approaching red traffic lights, then the momentum forces the driver/rider across the line before it turns back into a car and crashes with the car in the conflicting stream of traffic.
Nonsense. The driver with the green light could easily be to blame, because green means "proceed with caution". The other vehicle may have been turning right, for example. Just because your light is green doesn't mean you can go and hit anything that happens to be in the way.
Quoted message said:
It's the only explanation. After all, only bikes and all bikes jump all red lights.
Bikes don't jump all red lights, cyclists who jump red lights tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. treat it is a "give way", often in a situation where there is absolutely nothing coming, or a pedestrian phase where there are no pedestrians, at least not in the path of the cyclist.
Bikes don't jump all red lights, cyclists who jump red lights tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. treat it is a "give way", often in a situation where there is absolutely nothing coming, or a pedestrian phase where there are no pedestrians, at least not in the path of the cyclist.
IME car drivers also tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. before the other traffic has started moving, or at least before their passage conflicts with the other traffic.
The main difference is that most traffic lights are there to regulate traffic flow, so IMO could be treated as give way junctions for cyclists and motorcyclists. This may have an adverse effect on KSI rates (or maybe the opposite, as cyclists will not be sitting to the left of left turning lorries).
Bikes don't jump all red lights, cyclists who jump red lights tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. treat it is a "give way", often in a situation where there is absolutely nothing coming, or a pedestrian phase where there are no pedestrians, at least not in the path of the cyclist.
Except of course the exceptions, such as the tw@ who knocked down my 2 yo on a light controlled pedestrian crossing. Seriously not impressed. If there are rules, then obeying them means everyone knows what will happen. Making them up as you go along is a bad thing. I am in favour of the law being changed such that red lights can be treated as give way by cyclists (with peds crossing having right of way) but until that happens, do the predictable thing [1] and stop at them.
Bikes don't jump all red lights, cyclists who jump red lights tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. treat it is a "give way", often in a situation where there is absolutely nothing coming, or a pedestrian phase where there are no pedestrians, at least not in the path of the cyclist.
IME car drivers also tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. before the other traffic has started moving, or at least before their passage conflicts with the other traffic.
Usually an "amber gambler" where the gamble didn't pay off (i.e. it went red, not that they crashed). Obviously anyone who jumps a light doesn't expect to crash.
You won't often see a car cross a red light that has been red for a while though simply because there is no conflicting traffic (or pedestrians).
Quoted message said:
The main difference is that most traffic lights are there to regulate traffic flow, so IMO could be treated as give way junctions for cyclists and motorcyclists. This may have an adverse effect on KSI rates (or maybe the opposite, as cyclists will not be sitting to the left of left turning lorries).
I do not see that allowing a cyclist to exercise judgement at a traffic light is any worse than allowing them to exercise judgement at any other junction that has a give-way sign with no traffic lights. The traffic light is safer because usually the cyclist will go when there is definitely no conflict, i.e. won't have to judge approaching driver's speed etc.
I don't think motorcyclists should be exempt though.
Cyclists crossing red lights would not be exempt from prosecution if there was conflicting traffic or pedestrians that they should be giving way to. Such would be cycling without due care and attention though.
It's the only explanation. After all, only bikes and all bikes jump all red lights.
Bikes don't jump all red lights, cyclists who jump red lights tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. treat it is a "give way", often in a situation where there is absolutely nothing coming, or a pedestrian phase where there are no pedestrians, at least not in the path of the cyclist.
What's that whooshing sound? Could it be irony not being realised?
Sprinkle these where you feel they are appropriate.
:-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-) -- Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"
Bikes don't jump all red lights, cyclists who jump red lights tend to do so when it is safe, i.e. treat it is a "give way", often in a situation where there is absolutely nothing coming, or a pedestrian phase where there are no pedestrians, at least not in the path of the cyclist.
IME car drivers also tend to do so when it is safe,
Yours differs from most people. Most people observe that motorists jump lights irrespective of safety, as long as the red hasn't been red for a really long time.
Yours differs from most people. Most people observe that motorists jump lights irrespective of safety, as long as the red hasn't been red for a really long time.
Most motorists that I see jumping red lights are following the vehicle in front, which is usually safe (ish) because whoever has the green light will be waiting for a gap before moving off, so by ensuring there's no gap between the car in front and the RLJ they're probably OK
Inconsiderate, yes, and asking for trouble if the car in front has to stop suddenly, but little risk of being hit from the side.
IME car drivers also tend to do so when it is safe,
Yours differs from most people. Most people observe that motorists jump lights irrespective of safety, as long as the red hasn't been red for a really long time.
The lack of carnage at every light controlled junction, despite the levels of red light jumping, tend to support my experience over 'most peoples'. Safety is, I suppose, never absolute which gives us a chance for lots and lots of fruitless argument.
B'ah, you can't expect people to read your posts with the same care and attention to linguistic details as was taken in their writing.
Hey! It was MY post. Weren't you paying attention? 😉
I've no idea what point of view Earl Purple thought I WAS supporting, though. One can only hope that he/she has used up all their due care and attention on the road, when deciding whether to cycle through red lights or complain about the enforcement of speed limits, leaving no due care and attention for usenet.
