Red means stop, dickhead

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

Fantastic! I totally agree and will continue to catch up to dickhead red light runners on my commute to give them a spray...

As I watch another cyclist run a red light (or scoot past a tram that has stopped to offload/pick up passengers) I think.. 'Gee doesn't that give car drivers a wonderful impresssion of us?"

For some reason it seems like the more irregular (irregular looking) commuters just pedal on through...

Love that quote "Red means stop, dickhead!" Perfectly put.

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

"ACP" <ACP.2bwoen@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote in message
news:ACP.2bwoen@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com...
>
> Fantastic! I totally agree and will continue to catch up to dickhead red
> light runners on my commute to give them a spray...
>
> As I watch another cyclist run a red light (or scoot past a tram that
> has stopped to offload/pick up passengers) I think.. 'Gee doesn't that
> give car drivers a wonderful impresssion of us?"
>
> For some reason it seems like the more irregular (irregular looking)
> commuters just pedal on through...
>
> Love that quote "Red means stop, dickhead!" Perfectly put.
>
>
> --
> ACP
>I agree. On my commute up and down St Kilda Road I stop at every red light,
>including red pedestrian lights, often when the peds have already crossed
>against their red some time before. It doesn't really delay me. I observe
>every law so as to improve drivers' impression of cyclists.

Henry.

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

In aus.bicycle on Wed, 2 Aug 2006 20:25:01 +1000
hemyd <myd!!!hen@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>>I agree. On my commute up and down St Kilda Road I stop at every red light,
>>including red pedestrian lights, often when the peds have already crossed
>>against their red some time before. It doesn't really delay me. I observe
>>every law so as to improve drivers' impression of cyclists.

I don't do that to improve impressions, I don't think someone who
thinks "cyclists break the law" will change their minds because of one
person. Stereotypes don't work like that.

I do it because it's the right thing to do, it's part of this social
contract thing.

not that I'm majorly consistent. I'll ride through ped lights for
example.

I stop at red lights because of expectations. The expectation of
someone at a green light or one about to turn green is that the bods
who have the red will stay put. I don't think it is sensible to ruin
that expectation.

When the coast seems clear I stay put anyway. That way I don't have
to think, or place a bet.

Zebee

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> I stop at red lights because of expectations. The expectation of
> someone at a green light or one about to turn green is that the bods
> who have the red will stay put. I don't think it is sensible to ruin
> that expectation.
>
> When the coast seems clear I stay put anyway. That way I don't have
> to think, or place a bet.
>
> Zebee

I run reds regularly. I call it civil disobedience. Call me a dickhead.
If I get cleaned up, it's my fault, pure and simple. If I want less
risk, I'll be more cautious, and only run a few simple ones.

The problem is this. In line with all other things that seem to be
dangerous (read "able to be actioned and blamed upon someone in a court
of law") in the f&*ked up s$%tholes we call our outdoor living areas
(covered in bitumen and concrete and white lines for cars to drive
around, and a little bit of green if we're lucky), we are trying to
legislate, dilute and regulate all the danger away. Lights and signs
with (legalese) riders and disclaimers saying "Do this now, don't do
this now. You may get hurt. You have no common sense, therefore we have
to tell you this, which you will obey on pain of penalty points and
monetary exactions. You are unable, like an autistic child, to plan
your physical movements to avoid harm to yourself and others".

When a two ton chunk of metal is involved, no. We cannot. When it is us
and 15kg of bike, then, unless we are warping our way to the other side
of the galaxy, who we gonna hurt? A frail old lady? A baby in a pusher?
Us? Are we taking responsibility for our own actions?

Go to Hanoi and watch how the traffic behaves there. Many more people.
Many more journeys. Four wheels stop at the very small number of
waist-high traffic lights. Two wheels don't. Works almost perfectly.

So, traffic lights. Good to stop cars killing people. Flexible friends
for cyclists and peds. Although if the latest brainstorm by assorted
fascist pollies gets off the ground, it could become a crime to
'jaywalk', to use their coined Americanese, i.e. to impede the lawful
movement of automobiles wherever and whenever they want to go.

Traffic lights were invented to reduce car accident insurance claims in
the 1920s. As was the TAC. I don't think either would be needed in a
bike/foot/tram/train-only city. I hold them and their necessity in
almost contempt, and would start a campaign to disable large numbers of
them if they didn't perform the vital function of stopping cars hitting
people. (is that seditious? is ASIO watching?) Kev Carmody, famous
Aboriginal musician, once said he stands at ped crossings for 5 and 10
minutes at a time, pushing the button, messing with people's heads. I'm
doing the opposite. I'm ignoring something that doesn't have anything
to do with my safety, as I see it, after careful observation and
exposure to that particular traffic situation. Of course I don't ignore
3 lanes of oncoming traffic, but I won't be told I can't use a
perfectly good road to ride to where I'm going at bicycle speed, in a
bicycle manner, using road sense refined for riding a bicycle.

Is this long enough? Sometimes I'm just full of myself.

MH

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

In aus.bicycle on 2 Aug 2006 15:03:37 -0700
blah <p_o_y2000@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
>
> mfhor@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>> Zebee Johnstone wrote:
>
>> I run reds regularly. I call it civil disobedience. Call me a dickhead.
>
> Dickhead.

please remove my name from that next time....

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

Red means stop, Dickhead! Yes, I'm talking to YOU!

I sincerely hope you do NOT get cleaned up.

I sincerely hope you DO get caught and separated from your wallet.

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

well said.

And what do those idiots gain from running reds - probably spend a little bit longer waiting at next major intersection or maybe get to work a few minutes faster. Hardly a good enough return for the risk and impact on others.

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

I was on my way to Goat one nigh, got to an intersection and stopped on the line at the red light. Another cyclist comes along and blows the red quite blatently. Driver in car next to me winds down window and hurls abuse at me.

``It might of escaped your attention mate, but I'm stoped wating for the green same as you.'' Pfffft.

Anyway, 60 secons later I'm overtaking said cyclist.

``I just copped a bucket full of abuse back there because you ran a red light. Thanks a lot mate.''

Stomp stomp on pedals and off to Goat :-)

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

It used to be a " if a tree falls in the forest" thing for me, but nowadays it looks like I would be keeping pretty daggy company if I entertain running these things, so I'm as good boy now.

It's just that the new vouge thing with these red light runners is that they're cutting way too fine in just about every case I've watched. Maybe the thinking here is that: " If I pedal hard enough the oncoming car will see how committed I am & brake/swerve to avoid me " . Sort of doesn't make sence regardless how you would want to phrase it though.

I think it's important to now express your opinion to these riders when the opportunity presents itself.

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 03 Aug 2006 03:48:08 GMT
TimC <tconnors@no.spam.accepted.here-astro.swin.edu.au> wrote:
>
> Some of us are safer on 2 wheels than two feet, particularly with
> cleats on!
>
> I'll ride in such situations, but walking pace with one foot clipped
> out.

I tend to ride, but sometimes it's better to duckwalk the bent till I
can get back up to speed.

Trouble is that duckwalking's slower than normal walking!

Zebee

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

Bleve wrote:
>
> mfhor@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
> > Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> >
> > > I stop at red lights because of expectations. The expectation of
> > > someone at a green light or one about to turn green is that the bods
> > > who have the red will stay put. I don't think it is sensible to ruin
> > > that expectation.
> > >
> > > When the coast seems clear I stay put anyway. That way I don't have
> > > to think, or place a bet.
> > >
> > > Zebee
> >
> > I run reds regularly. I call it civil disobedience. Call me a dickhead.
>
> Dickhead.

Damn straight. Dickhead.

You might only be risking your own life, but if you end up in hospital,
our money is paying for your treatment! (Well, not mine, at the moment,
ahhh tax free reserve money...)

Tam

Re: Red means stop, dickhead

sinus wrote:
>
> Resound Wrote:
> > <mfhor@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> > news:1154519776.391864.270420@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> > >
> > > I run reds regularly. I call it civil disobedience. Call me a
> > dickhead.
> > > If I get cleaned up, it's my fault, pure and simple. If I want less
> > > risk, I'll be more cautious, and only run a few simple ones.
> > >
> >
> > Firstly, there are enough cyclists out there who clearly need traffic
> > lights
> > to avoid being cleaned up that not running reds as a law should make
> > sense
> > right there. The point of laws is that you don't ignore them based of
> > your
> > personal evaluation of when it's reasonable to do so. If it was
> > otherwise
> > then the people who most badly need those laws are the ones who'd never
> > observe them. I'm rather tempted to suggest that that's the case with
> > bicycles running red lights at the moment. The notion that it's your
> > risk
> > and not anyone else's just doesn't wash. How about the person on
> > another
> > bike or motorbike who goes down hitting or avoiding you? How about the
> > person who winds up injured and/or traumatised and/or well out of
> > pocket
> > when you bounce off their front guard and into their wind screen? How
> > about
> > the cost to the community in both dollars and physical resources with
> > regards to the emergency services who scrape you off the road and cart
> > you
> > off to hospital? And finally, as has been mentioned in this group a
> > huge
> > number of times, how about the dozen people who watch you blow through
> > that
> > red light each time and mentally reinforce their pre-conceived notion
> > that
> > cyclists are dangerous idiots. Don't even think about saying that they
> > won't
> > apply it to all cyclists because not all cyclists are the same. When
> > you're
> > not part of a minority, there's a tendency to treat that minority as a
> > homogenous group. Non-cyclists aren't interested in making the mental
> > effort
> > to give us the benefit of the doubt, especially when being mentally
> > lazy
> > lets them see another data point to reinforce their fondly held
> > prejudices.
> >
> > Oh, and before I forget:
> >
> > Dickhead.
> well said.
>
> And what do those idiots gain from running reds - probably spend a
> little bit longer waiting at next major intersection or maybe get to
> work a few minutes faster. Hardly a good enough return for the risk and
> impact on others.
>
> --
> sinus

When I see people doing that sh1t I think, "Unnecessary risks only make
up for a lack of fitness until you get cleaned up. Get fit you lazy
fscker, instead of running reds."

T