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Tea Stop

Red light jumping van

by brooksby
Fri, Sep 11, 2015 09:32
14

So this morning I was on the cycle path which goes alongside the A369, travelling toward Bristol and work. There is a complicated traffic light junction with the B3129 (Beggar Bush Lane) - see https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4550715,-2.6457106,334m/data=!3m1!1e3

The first crossing (the northern one, on the google map - with me going along the side of the A369 from the top left to the bottom right) is angled so that cars coming out of Beggar Bush Lane onto the A369 and turning left (to go away from Bristol) don't have to slow down very much, but it is nevertheless a traffic light controlled crossing. When waiting to cross, you can only see about a car length up Beggar Bush Lane, so I *always* wait for the lights, and for the green man, before crossing.

This morning, I wait, the traffic light turns red, the green man lights, and I start to move. I am literally halfway across the crossing when a small white van comes screaming out of Beggar Bush Lane and out onto the A369, going toward Portishead. The B3129 is 'national speed limit', and the A369 there is a 40 mph limit. So this guy (if I'm being generous) was in the process of slowing from 60-ish to 40-ish as he ran a red light over a pedestrian crossing.

I was able to lurch forward out of his way, close enough to hear him swearing through his window as he shot past me.

It makes me so angry that cyclists jumping red lights are the scourge of modern civilisation and yet motorists doing the same seem to be practically ignored (I was aware, as I looked around when my heart had gone back into my chest, that the motorists waiting at the other red lights on the junction were *all* looking the other way...).

Is there any point reporting this to Avon & Somerset Police as a 'near miss'? Will they even bother recording it?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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14 comments

Avatar
Podc | 9 years ago
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Waiting to cross at some lights as a pedestrian (cross roads junction) on Monday lunchtime. Watched one driver go through on amber and two on red right in front of a police car... The police car just drove off - after waiting for the rljs to clear the junction 2

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Must be Mad | 9 years ago
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I genuinely see more cars jump red lights then cyclists.

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Stumps | 9 years ago
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People get mixed up with what is and what isn’t a crime. There are very few motoring offences that are a crime. Going through a red light, using a mobile phone, drink driving are not crimes.

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kie7077 replied to Stumps | 9 years ago
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stumps wrote:

People get mixed up with what is and what isn’t a crime. There are very few motoring offences that are a crime. Going through a red light, using a mobile phone, drink driving are not crimes.

"Drink driving is classed as a criminal offence rather than just a motoring offence due to the fact it puts other motorists', pedestrians' and passengers' lives at risk."

Quoting a solicitor here ^

"Going through a red light, using a mobile phone, drink driving are not crimes."

If you do these things and kill someone then you can end up in prison.

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brooksby replied to Stumps | 9 years ago
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stumps wrote:

People get mixed up with what is and what isn’t a crime. There are very few motoring offences that are a crime. Going through a red light, using a mobile phone, drink driving are not crimes.

So does that mean that they are all just 'civil' offences, rather than criminal (fines or points, rather than jail time)? Which would be used as 'aggravating circumstances' or something, if someone did get caught for dangerous or careless driving? I thought that people *could* get jail time for drink driving - am I wrong on that?

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climber replied to Stumps | 9 years ago
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stumps wrote:

People get mixed up with what is and what isn’t a crime. There are very few motoring offences that are a crime. Going through a red light, using a mobile phone, drink driving are not crimes.

My understanding is that ALL motoring offences are crimes. Speeding, the lot. But to say drink driving not a crime.....

On he same basis cycling through a red light is a crime.

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Colin Peyresourde | 9 years ago
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It happens. But I think you have to put it in context. It doesn't happen that much otherwise you'd see it all the time.

Unfortunately I do see cyclist going through on reds and admit I occasionally do it myself - though the lights at the Angel bike crossing are badly phased and do not respond in a practical way.

Glad you reported it.

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oldstrath replied to Colin Peyresourde | 9 years ago
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Colin Peyresourde wrote:

It happens. But I think you have to put it in context. It doesn't happen that much otherwise you'd see it all the time.

Unfortunately I do see cyclist going through on reds and admit I occasionally do it myself - though the lights at the Angel bike crossing are badly phased and do not respond in a practical way.

Glad you reported it.

Despite only having one set of lights on my commute, I see motons jump red lights at least twice a week. I also see essentially every one of them light up the speed sign at the start of a 30 mph zone, the fastest so far at 56mph. So please don't try to excuse them, or claim cyclists are 'as bad'.

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fukawitribe replied to oldstrath | 9 years ago
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oldstrath wrote:
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

It happens. But I think you have to put it in context. It doesn't happen that much otherwise you'd see it all the time.

Unfortunately I do see cyclist going through on reds and admit I occasionally do it myself - though the lights at the Angel bike crossing are badly phased and do not respond in a practical way.

Glad you reported it.

Despite only having one set of lights on my commute, I see motons jump red lights at least twice a week. I also see essentially every one of them light up the speed sign at the start of a 30 mph zone, the fastest so far at 56mph. So please don't try to excuse them, or claim cyclists are 'as bad'.

I don't think anyone was excusing them or claiming cyclists are 'as bad' - it's just that blatantly going reds as described isn't that common IME, and perhaps others - were not talking about nipping through on a 'dark amber' in town here, but speeding through a solid red on a major road. Unfortunately that junction is prone to exactly that - fast (often very fast) approach road, split light set, nice curve to take you onto the other road, half decent sight-line to the right to check it's "clear" - so you do get more than the usual number of twats doing it... presumably they're concentrating so much looking down towards Ashton Court (down and right on the map) for other cars etc they don't hardly notice pedestrians and others trying to cross, especially when going from Beggar Bush Lane over to the Clifton side (if you go there, you'll see why).

None of this is excusing it - it's just that when you present the normal range of bell-ends with a easier way of not stopping, that's invariably what's going to happen.

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brooksby replied to fukawitribe | 9 years ago
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fukawitribe wrote:

Unfortunately that junction is prone to exactly that - fast (often very fast) approach road, split light set, nice curve to take you onto the other road, half decent sight-line to the right to check it's "clear" - so you do get more than the usual number of twats doing it... presumably they're concentrating so much looking down towards Ashton Court (down and right on the map) for other cars etc they don't hardly notice pedestrians and others trying to cross, especially when going from Beggar Bush Lane over to the Clifton side (if you go there, you'll see why).

If you've been there, you will also know that another part of the problem is where North Somerset lets the greenery grow out so much so that the lights themselves are often obscured. I've reported that to North Somerset, too.

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brooksby | 9 years ago
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OK, thanks, people! I've put it on through the A&S reporting website thing (which makes a very big deal of how this will not be reported as a crime, but just used for statistical purposes). Maybe I've been sheltered, but I have *never* seen someone go over a red light so blatantly and so quickly! He just went through as if the traffic lights and crossing weren't even there.

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Bob's Bikes replied to brooksby | 9 years ago
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brooksby wrote:

OK, thanks, people! I've put it on through the A&S reporting website thing (which makes a very big deal of how this will not be reported as a crime, but just used for statistical purposes).

So according to A&S it's not a crime, Well b*gg*r me backwards I always thought that RLJing was a crime.

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CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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You need witnesses or video to prove the offence. A call to the police might if they can be bothered prompt them into calling upon him

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atgni replied to CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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You may as well report it as they have a handy website to do so 1

https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/advice/vehicles-and-roads/cycling/...

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