Why is there so much animosity towards cyclists in Sheffield?

[Flanker7]

Maybe, or conversely, maybe you do instead?

 

Maybe we need some independent studies, like , say, from the Institute of Advanced Motorists in 2012 that found 57% of cyclists admitted to running red lights, or a 2013 YouGov poll that found 35% of cyclists at least occasionally ignore red lights. Both figures not a million miles from my own personal observations.

 

Why do they do it when most would also be car drivers who wouldn't run red lights in their car? Probably the lack of identifying registration means prosecution is extremely unlikely. Possibly also the holier-than-thou mentality of being in some way superior to cars because they're not polluting gives a false sense of being above the law.

 

Stats Stats Stats -

Both these above %'s can be drawn from the same question, where's the difference. Where is the corresponding figures for motor vehicles to give a valuable comparison?

 

Cyclists can run red lights with little chance of a down side. I think the lack of likely prosecution is part of it. But first and foremost it is an acceptable risk re: physical damage, that is, getting knocked off.

E.G. - Exceeding the speed limit. Before camera's it was safe, almost every time. AND the likelyhood of prosecution was low. Speed camera's have changed that for identifiable registered vehicles. I'm sure a survey of before and after camera's behaviour would show the comparison. It would for me at any rate.

 

The holier-than-thou, superior and false sense stuff is just physco-babble

Edited May 29, 2015 by Flanker7

[Bargepole23]

Forgive me if I am repeating something that may have been said already.

 

I think a lot of animosity stems from fear on the behalf of the car driver.

 

Every time I pass a cyclist I am at pains to ensure all is safe and must admit the fear of hitting them, hitting an oncoming car etc creates an irrational anger which is unwarranted but there. In my mind. I don't need this extra stress when driving which is stressful enough.

 

There's not much to be afraid of, we just cars to overtake at safe points in the road and with a bit of space between us and the car.

[small_hall]

It's not a minority though. I do a lot of rush hour driving and play my own little games to pass the time. I'd confidently say more than 50% of cyclists run red lights. I see it all the time. I could get a dash cam. I saw one do it only this morning

 

I work 6 days a week - one full time 9-5 job, and a part time job at a hotel so i am on the road during rush hour traffic and other random times ( ie 6am ish, 10pm or even in the very early hours ). Travelling along penistone, through hillsborough and then up to stannington .

In the last fortnight i have only seen one cyclist run a red light and that was at the university roundabout. I usually pass at least 2-3 cyclists every morning on the way to work - none of which ran any red lights nor made a nuisance of themselves in any way.

 

Why cant you accept that half the problem stems from drivers not being patient enough to wait to overtake , or that people turn into a complete spud when sat behind the wheel? There are some that are clueless and flaunt the rules but they are a minority not a majority as you claim.

 

Just the other day i was driving on penistone road near the gym - in front was a cyclist coming down from leppings lane , the car in front of me (left lane) swerved right into my lane (in the outside ) to avoid him - then realised we were pretty much side by side so swerved back in and nearly knocked the fella off his bike. The same silly cow then ran 3 red lights a little further up - first light turned red as she went though , but the next 2 - had plenty of time to stop.

 

Point being - there are some serious plum drivers on the road also

[hyper]

Maybe we need some independent studies, like , say, from the Institute of Advanced Motorists

ha ha ha.

 

"independent" and "motorists" in the same sentence.

 

Here's some more independent studies for you to set up

 

A study into the benefits of eating red meat by the society of vegetarian diets

 

A study into racial harmony conducted by the BNP

[mattleonard]

Why do they do it when most would also be car drivers who wouldn't run red lights in their car? Probably the lack of identifying registration means prosecution is extremely unlikely. Possibly also the holier-than-thou mentality of being in some way superior to cars because they're not polluting gives a false sense of being above the law.

 

Where have you got this bizarre impression that car drivers don't run red lights? I was at St Mary's Gate the other day, stopped at a red light - as I always do. The light turned to green, and I prepared to move off, and checked the ring road crossing me, and lo and behold, a car comes streaming across, having accelerated above the speed limit in order that they'd come a little bit closer to not blatantly going through a red light. Had I just moved off on the basis that the light was green for me then I'm pretty sure I'd be dead now.

 

The behaviour of the driver isn't unusual, nor is it particularly frowned upon.

[PeteM01]

Forgive me if I am repeating something that may have been said already.

 

I think a lot of animosity stems from fear on the behalf of the car driver.

 

Every time I pass a cyclist I am at pains to ensure all is safe and must admit the fear of hitting them, hitting an oncoming car etc creates an irrational anger which is unwarranted but there. In my mind. I don't need this extra stress when driving which is stressful enough.

 

This is a really good point, I think, and I also feel stressed when overtaking cyclists. As I often drive in the vicinity of the universities, I have to try and overtake reckless and/or lightless young cyclists on a regular basis and the fear I feel on their behalf definitely makes a difference to the way I feel about cyclists generally (however wrong that generalisation is).

 

You can only give a safe distance to cyclists that you have actually seen, and certainly not to the ones who unexpectedly veer right across the road in front of you. I would expect that most of these young people would behave equally badly in a car...

[nitwit]

Cyclist in front of me ran red light on pelican crossing on penistone rd about 3 hrs ago. There was a pedestrian about 2 yds away going to cross, fortunately pedestrian quick enough to anticipate cyclist had no intention of stopping

As I passed the cyclist him my partner yelled at him " red light "

He stuck 2 fingers up in response

What would have happened if I had been caught driving through a red light, or even worse the pedestrian hadn't anticipated his stupidity

He wasn't a young person trying to act clever,he was middle aged and old enough to know better ! Yes I'm aware sometimes car drivers have gone through on red but nowhere near as much as cyclists, most of them seem to think it's their right to do so

[mattleonard]

What would have happened if I had been caught driving through a red light

 

Well, that's the key thing, whether you'd get caught.

 

You are right that some cyclists think it's their right to go through a red light - I would dispute that it's most, and I would dispute that it's a higher proportion than the proportion of drivers who go through red lights, often whilst accelerating. They do this because - like the cyclist you encountered - they anticipate that they won't get caught.

[Becky B]

Cyclist in front of me ran red light on pelican crossing on penistone rd about 3 hrs ago. There was a pedestrian about 2 yds away going to cross, fortunately pedestrian quick enough to anticipate cyclist had no intention of stopping

As I passed the cyclist him my partner yelled at him " red light "

He stuck 2 fingers up in response

What would have happened if I had been caught driving through a red light, or even worse the pedestrian hadn't anticipated his stupidity

He wasn't a young person trying to act clever,he was middle aged and old enough to know better ! Yes I'm aware sometimes car drivers have gone through on red but nowhere near as much as cyclists, most of them seem to think it's their right to do so

 

If we're talking anecdotally, in the last week I've seen two motorists go through red lights on pedestrian crossings.

With the first, I was waiting at a side junction to pull onto the main road and thought that as the traffic would be stopping I would be able to get out. However, the car approaching the crossing went straight through, and as he passed me I could see he was looking at his lap (likely at his phone, I'm sure his lap isn't that interesting). Fortunately there was no-one on the crossing...

 

Today a guy pulled out of a side junction next to a crossing and went straight through, presumably not noticing the lights were red. The pedestrian waiting to cross appeared to have anticipated this, so didn't get mown down.

[nitwit]

Well Becky..if the car didn't get them the maybe next time the cyclist will..only kidding of course

But seriously it isn't a joking matter ..no one should be running red lights especially at pedestrian crossings