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Red light runners in your town?

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Red light runners in your town?

Old 08-08-06, 09:37 AM
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Red light runners in your town?

Speaking of "trust," on another thread... how many of you experience red light runners with any frequency in your town?

Here they have installed red light cameras to try to catch and or slow down the violators, and now are making a public plea...

https://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...o_kgtv/9644095

"San Diego law enforcement is stepping up patrols this week to catch drivers and pedestrians breaking the red light law."

I have had two close calls this year on my bike... by motorists running red lights.
I also had a motorist run a red light on me, but it was at a crawl... so I just yelled "hey!" real loud and they stopped.

The first close call was way too close... the motorist missed me by inches as they speed past me on the cross street. The second close call happened just the other day... I noticed the motorist not slowing, so I did... she came to a screaching halt right in front of me... I would have been hit, had I not stopped.

So take care out there... it appears that red doesn't even mean slowdown to some folks.
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Old 08-08-06, 09:42 AM
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I rarely encounter flat out running of a red light. However, multiple times a day many motorists are rushing to beat a light and will end up in the intersection as a light turns red.
Combined with my previous habit of jumping the light on my bike (both directions are red when I go) this could entail disaster for me. I have now unlearned that habit and wait.
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Old 08-08-06, 09:46 AM
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In both cases of my close calls the red had been red for a while... So these are not folks that are just trying to slip through on the tail of a green.
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Old 08-08-06, 09:47 AM
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Red light running isn't as common in Santa Barbara as stop sign running.
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Old 08-08-06, 09:52 AM
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I see red light runners often.... usually helmetless, on spiffy carbon bikes
bad apples... ruin it for everyone
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Old 08-08-06, 09:52 AM
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I saw a version of red light running that I sometimes see at big intersections in St Louis. Instead of waiting at the light like another vehicle, the cyclist in question rode back and forth in front of the two lanes of stopped traffic waiting for a break in the cross traffic, which was turning left in front of him with a green turn arrow. I'm guessing he didn't want to come out of his pedals. When there was a break, he scooted across against the red. Bizarre. The light turned solid green about 2 seconds later.
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Old 08-08-06, 10:01 AM
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Torontos' Metro Police just launched a major red-light running blitz this morning and it's about time too. While I hear folks complain about cyclists running red lights all the time, it just isn't the same thing. 90% of the cyclists I see that run red lights (and there are many!) do so if a relatively safe manner: i.e.; either with little or no crossing traffic. But, 90% of the motorists I see running red lights (and there are many!) create a drastically more dangerous situation being unable to see cyclists, pedestrians stepping off side-walks and other motorists making right turns or entering the roadway from nearby lanes, parking-lots, etc. I hope the blitz actually accomplishes something, but considering that this is the height of vacation season it may have been wiser to perform the blitz in the fall when such occurences are more common.
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Old 08-08-06, 10:02 AM
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Yeah, Bill and 'Lil, those guys give all of us a bad name. They are worse than the wrong-way no lights guys.
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Old 08-08-06, 11:02 AM
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What is funny is that this thread is in reference to MOTORISTS that run red lights... not to cyclists...

While cyclists should not run reds... they pretty much are only going to harm themselves. Motorists on the other hand... not pretty.

So be careful out there... check both ways before crossing on your green... no telling what the motorist on the red ISN'T doing...
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Old 08-08-06, 11:19 AM
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In other words: ride like they are trying to kill you.

I pay attention in intersections whether I have the green or not. Same with driving a car. Most accidents occur in intersections.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:04 PM
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Red light running is QUITE regular here in Vancouver.

In fact, in the last month, two of my friends have been hit by people blatantly running the red lights along our cities bike routes.

In both instances, my friend pushes the ped/cyclist crossing button, waits for their signal, goes, then gets mowed down by someone completely disregarding the light. My friends were both hurt because they trusted that traffic would stop.

Every afternoon on my commute, I have to hit about 10 of these buttons in order to cross the major streets. Sure enough, I see at LEAST one person a day, that just doesn't feel like stopping.

I've taken to 'faking out' the red light runners, by being a standing sprint type position on my bike when the light turns, then shouldering down and advancing half a crank revolution, until I'm almost at their door (but not in their projected path).

I realize how agressive and dangerous this is. Not for me so much, but for the people in their cars who have already stopped. If the red light runner sees me and swerves mid intersection, they could collide with the oncoming stopped cars.

Most recently I did this to a guy on a loud motorbike with a V engine. When the light was changing I heard him gear down to second (how could I not?) but he just wasn't braking.

When I advanced on him he got spooked and completely locked the back brake of his motorcycle, causing it to fishtail skid in front of me, through the intersection. He over corrected and had to stomp his foot down to avoid dumping the bike. When he regained control he let off the clutch and peeled away.

I hate to say it, but there is a certain percentage of me that just wants to see these people crash.
It might wake them up.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:24 PM
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Here in Miami, if the cops were serious about ticketing red light runners, they couldn't print ticket books fast enough to keep up with demand. Its not unusual at lights for 1 to 5 cars who were completely behind the "stop here" line on the road when the light turns red, to barge out and either turn left or proceed straight.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:25 PM
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Originally Posted by genec
So take care out there... it appears that red doesn't even mean slowdown to some folks.
The other morning, I was in a hurry to get to work. As I came to the first 4-way stop in my neighborhood (in the dark,) a car just went right throught the stop sign without even slowing down. I was ticked.

Then I suddenly remembered that in my hurry, I had done the same thing one block back...

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Old 08-08-06, 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by DataJunkie
In other words: ride like they are trying to kill you.
I agree. Just last month, at the intersection 200 yards from home, I got the green light and looked both ways before pulling out. I saw a car not slowing, way back, with plenty of time to stop. Then it actually accelerated. I looked across the intersection and saw a car crossing. Sure enough it was t-boned. Red light runner first claimed to have the green, then claimed to not see trhe red when quite a few witnesses stepped up. He would've killed me. Ride like they are trying to kill you, or they just might.
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Old 08-08-06, 01:00 PM
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I've taken to letting a car go through the intersection before me whenever possible. Let the one with the roll cage take the first stone so to speak. It is so bad in my city that as a pedestrian I wait for the walk light to turn, look both ways, take a step and again look both ways. In my first year at this school i've seen four students hit by cars running red lights near campus, and those are just the ones I've witnessed.

This together with speeding are my two biggest peeves right now. I think the city could eliminate the need for an income tax if they would just start ticketing people for these things. But what do I know.
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Old 08-08-06, 02:19 PM
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Originally Posted by lyledriver
Red light running is QUITE regular here in Vancouver.

In fact, in the last month, two of my friends have been hit by people blatantly running the red lights along our cities bike routes.

In both instances, my friend pushes the ped/cyclist crossing button, waits for their signal, goes, then gets mowed down by someone completely disregarding the light. My friends were both hurt because they trusted that traffic would stop.

Every afternoon on my commute, I have to hit about 10 of these buttons in order to cross the major streets. Sure enough, I see at LEAST one person a day, that just doesn't feel like stopping.

I've taken to 'faking out' the red light runners, by being a standing sprint type position on my bike when the light turns, then shouldering down and advancing half a crank revolution, until I'm almost at their door (but not in their projected path).

I realize how agressive and dangerous this is. Not for me so much, but for the people in their cars who have already stopped. If the red light runner sees me and swerves mid intersection, they could collide with the oncoming stopped cars.

Most recently I did this to a guy on a loud motorbike with a V engine. When the light was changing I heard him gear down to second (how could I not?) but he just wasn't braking.

When I advanced on him he got spooked and completely locked the back brake of his motorcycle, causing it to fishtail skid in front of me, through the intersection. He over corrected and had to stomp his foot down to avoid dumping the bike. When he regained control he let off the clutch and peeled away.

I hate to say it, but there is a certain percentage of me that just wants to see these people crash.
It might wake them up.

I seen one idiot on a motor cycle last year dump it trying to run a red. Big old hog he had to slam the back breaks to avoid slamming in to a car. Bike went down he jumped off as it was going down and then i hear woosh. Look back over my shoulder and seen the bike going up in a blaze of glory.

Big hog has big pipes and lots of heat on those pipes. I just thought to bad so sad. On way home i see the after math. Melted plastic and glass. So that was the end of that hog.
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Old 08-08-06, 03:14 PM
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Cars who run lights? 95 percent are cars turning left, after the light has turned red.

Bikes? About half the runners I see do it by going straight through at T-intersections with bike lanes; in other words, they're not really endangering themselves or others by running the light, because they're in a lane traveling one direction that is not crossed any other traffic (barring accident or misjudgment).

The other half, strangely, I see doing it across major intersections like Lawrence Expressway, Great America Parkway, etc. That makes no sense to me. Well, I guess you have a good straight vista of oncoming traffic, but I sure wouldn't do it.
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Old 08-08-06, 05:18 PM
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hahahahahaha. red light runners. all i have to say is, i live in san francisco, where the city-owned vehicles have bumper stickers on them that say, "i brake for red lights."

if that gives you any sense of how terrible of a problem it is here ....
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Old 08-08-06, 09:21 PM
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I see cars running red lights whenever I am on the road. I once saw a semi-truck run a red (he had plenty of time to stop...he entered the turn lane as the light turned yellow). I saw where he turned and caught up to him. I took down his information and everything, then the driver hopped out and started talking to me. "What are you writing down?" he asked.
"Well, you ran a red light and put some motorists and myself in danger."
"No I didn't."
"Yes, the light was red when you entered the intersection. I thought your company would like to know," I replied.
"Do you have any idea how much it takes to stop a truck like this?"
"Yes, I do. And you did run that red. Have a nice day."

He shouted obscenities at me as I rode off into the morning breeze and pollution.
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Old 08-09-06, 06:31 AM
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About the craziest thing I saw was a car passing another in the left hand turn lane in order to run the light. I was waiting to make a right hand turn onto a two lane street at a red light. My light was red but I could see the other light turn amber and then red. A VW Jetta did the right thing and came to a stop at the intersection but the vehicle behind them swerved left, entered the left turn lane and rocketed through at 80 km/h (speed limit was 50). After I completed my turn I saw this same driver mount the sidewalk to get around another car stopped at a red at the next intersection. In the immediate area were no fewer than two schools, a church and a nursing home. At that particular point in time, I really wanted to be a cop. Of course, I couldn't get a plate.
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Old 08-09-06, 06:51 AM
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Just two days ago I was driving my gas-guzzler and had just started moving after stopping at a stop sign. I was about to turn left when an teenager ran the stop sign opposite me causing me to hit the brakes, then he yelled out, "That's a stop sign!" I was outraged and yelled back at him, but his pea-sized brain refused to register that HE had almost caused himself to get runover, afterwhich I'm sure his family would have filed suit against me for hurting their poor little baby that was such a well behave child.
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Old 08-09-06, 07:02 AM
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There is a big sign on the road near my house that says " Dangerous Intersection, red light runners "

lol
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Old 08-09-06, 07:47 AM
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i've heard in some states the law for bicycles is to treat a red light as a stop, and a stop sign as a yield. i think this is how it should be.
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Old 08-09-06, 07:56 PM
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I think that you should always consider one thing: ONe person in ten is in need of psychiatric help or medication. Half the country is below the average I.Q. level. These people are also driving cars unless you are lucky enough to live in a city with good public transportation, and in that case, the drivers have to take tests.
People drove badly in each of the dozen cities I've lived in, but the real winner, or loser, was Savannah; I have seen cars driving at sixty miles an hour in reverse on one-way streets, and every tree bordering Forsyth Park had scars three feet above the ground from the drunk drivers hitting them. The Georgia Historical Society's fence was knocked down so many times by drunk drivers that I suggeted putting it on springs so that it could spring back up after the drunk drove across their lawn.
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Old 08-09-06, 08:18 PM
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I honestly never saw it before, I've only seen cops running reds, and not in an emergency kinda way, more like "im lazy and im drunk on power" kind of way, they suddenly turn the roof lights on when they see a descent enough break to ride through and turn them off again once they are by.

The only time I run reds or stops signs (this is bicycle wise, I dont drive a car) is when im out riding late at night 12-5am) I never flat out blow em, thats just plain dumb, I always slow to a crawl and make sure there is nothing coming before proceding through.

I only do this because in my area say if you're on a non busy street trying to go across what is typically a fairly busy street during the day time, they have the lights run at a slower changing pace during the late hours cause it isnt likely a car would be riding on that street, so sometimes you'll literally stand there for a good 5 minutes before you get your 5 second green, I dont see the point of standing there like an idiot when you can plainly see there isnt anything moving on the road for miles. I wouldnt think it would be a bad thing for an auto driver to do the same thing in this situation.

Last edited by divineAndbright; 08-09-06 at 08:30 PM.
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