We filmed London’s rush hour at Blackfriars and saw around 200 cyclists jump red lights in just one hour. Rags Martel investigates why riders take the risk, the dangers for pedestrians, and the new law passing through Parliament that could bring tougher sentences for dangerous cycling.
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The lights red, but no one’s stopping. I think it’s ridiculous. More needs to be done about it because if they get hit by one of us, if we hurt them seriously, then obviously there’s a big issue there. So yeah, it winds me up on a daily basis to be honest. I have a buggy. So for me to be able to cross and then look either side, I always miss one. So it is really dangerous. Do you wish they red light to you? Of course. I mean, the lights are there for a reason, so we can all cross and not bump into each other. Feels pretty simple, so I’d love it if they respected it. Do you think cyclist should obey the laws more? Definitely. Yeah, it’s dangerous. Most of them got headphones on, not look where they’re going. Yeah, it’s infuriating. We’re outside Blackfire’s station at rush hour with a camera and a producer counting. At 20 8 this morning, we started our survey. In an hour, 200 cyclists didn’t stop at a red at a single traffic light. A lot of cyclists jumping red lights. What’s your reaction to that? It’s not good and we shouldn’t be jumping red lights. But what we know is that cyclists are jumping red lights and misbehaving, behaving illegally, dangerously, etc. in roughly the same proportion as pedestrians. In fact, pedestrians actually by all surveys slightly worsely behaved. uh drivers about equally behaved. This is annoying and it’s really deeply hostile to pedestrians. Shouldn’t be happening. These people shouldn’t be doing it, but it’s not actually statistically very dangerous. And here the results of our survey. 293 cyclists were met with a red light in the hour we were there. Only 93 waited for green and exactly 200 ran a red light in 60 minutes. Gerard Griffith is a road safety campaigner after his mother, Hilda, was run over by a cyclist. How does it make you feel knowing that so many cyclists don’t obey the rules? It comes across as a little bit sort of an entitlement. If that was the case with motor vehicles, there’d be carnage, you know, and the more people cycling, the more chances of accidents and collisions and tragic ones, like in the case of my mom. It’s important to remember that cycling is a clean and green way to get around town. And in terms of cycle safety, you’re much more in danger to be hit by a car lorry than injure a pedestrian. Do you think cyclists should respect the law more and the red lights more? Yeah. And equally, people shouldn’t walk across even if it’s clear. Should redist. Why? Because otherwise it’s unsafe. Yeah, everyone has to abide by the same rules. We saw you jump a red light. Can I ask you why you did it? No, I’m okay. Thank you. Sorry. Do you think you’re you should obey the lawn? Yeah. Yeah, I do think so. Sorry about that. This is the story of a single traffic light in London. Across the capital, many more red lines are being crossed. Oh, Rags, there’ll be so many opinions on this. What can be done about it or what is being done? Well, first the most impressive thing was at 8:00 a.m. this morning, this the sheer numbers of people cycling to work was quite an incredible site to see. So, there are now a lot of cyclists in London. But the sheer number of people jumping the lights was also incredible for the wrong reasons. According to our onscientific survey, the majority didn’t stop. But the law says it’s a 50 fine, but there’s not that much enforcement of it. Latest figures show for the city of London, just the square mile of London, just 284 fines have been issued so far this year. That’s almost the same numbers we saw people jump the lights in that one hour, which is crazy. But there’s a new bill going through Parliament. But as we’ve seen today, I think the enforcement of the law needs a lot to be desired. Yeah, Rags, thank you very much.
17 Comments
Don't complain when you get close passed cyclists.
That looks like a pointless red light though and traffic lights are way too slow
Adding my ignorant opinion: Infrastructure works better than law to control behavior especially when the law isn't enforced. Perhaps raising the crossing up on a small hump to encourage cyclists to slow down would encourage compliance and reduce the risks of non-compliance. In the first clip it looks like the only reason the light is red at all is because the cycle crossing is an extension of the road crossing, which is necessarily timing controlled. Offset the cycle path crossing a bit and convert it into a zebra crossing or push-button controlled crossing. Obviously this costs money.
Strange video. Despite all that filming I can't see a risky near miss anywhere. Were there any? Nor do I see any people on cycles going at any speed.
For the Regents Park collision that you feature has full opportunity for a police investigation and a charge of "careless" or "dangerous" cycling to be laid, but the police / CPS chose not to charge, with the implication that the cyclist was not at any fault whatsoever.
Not having any credible case to make, the media and politicians, such as the Telegraph and IDS, went for a culture war narrative because there was nothing to do except make something up.
As I understand it, Hilda stepped out so late that there was no way the cyclist could have avoided a collision. The same happens every week with motor vehicles, but the drivers are not demonised when not at fault.
If it's only 5 cycles a minute at rush hour, perhaps it needs part time signals.
Traffic lights are clearly faulty – show a red when no one is waiting to cross – so what do you expect the cyclists to do?
How many accidents were there?
Haven't you anything better to do with your time than whip up anti-cyclist propaganda
This is caused by the terrible design of the junction. There is no reason to have a traffic light for bicycles there. A zebra crossing would work fine and would be easier for both pedestrians and cyclists. This is what happens when car drivers try and design cycle infrastructure.
1:17 Pedestrians cannot jump red lights as they do not apply to them. It is perfectly legal to walk past a red light or to cross on a red man.
Why pick that particular crossing which is easily one of London's most pointless traffic lights – where there's not even the possibility of any conflict with motor vehicles – rather than a more general intersection involving motor vehicles and cross traffic?
Wheres Cycling Mikey
It would be informative if the producers had qualified the red jumps – number with a pedestrian crossing or waiting to cross, vs those with neither.
That figure would give a %ge of dangerous passes on red.
Bikes are nothing like cars. They're light, gentle, slow, can stop easily and are a threat to nobody other than themselves. If they hit a pedestrian (which is rare), it's unlikely that either the cyclist or pedestrian will be hurt that badly. Maybe a few cuts or bruises.
Cars are a different beast. They're killers and are very powerful.
So in my opinion, it's important that cars strictly follow the rules of the road. Bikes though, while obviously annoying to cars, aren't that much of a danger and it's not that big a deal if they don't follow the rules of the road. That's why cyclists aren't required to take any tests before being allowed on the roads. They're pretty harmless.
What a non issue! Who's reporting on this? What a waste of time! GET A LIFE! Look at where that red light is located!- on a bike lane! These STUPID motor vehicle drivers are all concerned over cyclists running this red light is unreal!!! – THERE'S NO REASON TO STOP! No peds, no cross traffic, nothing! I'm reporting this vid – it's clearly attempting to bully and harass cyclists, meanwhile giving drivers the feeling like they can harass us on the street- which is illegal. I always have a cam on me, filming every time I'm on the road due to how dangerous motor vehicle drivers are.
Traffic lights for cyclists instead of decent road design is the sort of thing I would expect to only exist in America…
I work right here, and cycling almost everyday past this intersection for 7 years.
I can tell you it feels very dangerous to be a cyclist coming to lights with other cyclists behind you.
if this had been reported by the telegraph the headline would have been something like "speeding cyclists fly through red lights at 60 mph"