Tsk, Boris!

MartSharm

I the USA you can turn right on a red light. It's not a huge leap of faith to not mind cyclists turning left on a red here.

It's not obligatory to stop at a zebra crossing, it's a judgment thing. Did he knock anyone over?

Mounting the pavement - some cycle lanes allow cyclists to use the pavement. Some obstructions make it necessary.

As a cyclist, I've lost count of the number of times I've had to fling myself out of the way of traffic and pedestrians, most of whom seem to have cycle-blindness. This cuts both ways.

"Pit of moral blackness"? I hardly think this is crime of the century, Melanie. There's plenty more important topics to spend your blog space on.

Kennybhoy

Amen.

They are a PC version of "White Van Man"!

Leo

As a cyclist, nothing annoys me more than other cyclists ignoring the rules of the road. The safest way to cycle is to obey the rules of the road, and to behave just like you were driving a car. Don't be afraid to occupy the whole lane if you need to.

Oded Farhi

MartSharm,
Actually IT IS obligatory to stop at a zebra crossing if "there are pedestrians crossing or preparing to cross"
That is the highway code.
Interestingly, your decidedly rightous response (Boris didn't knock anyone over so it's ok if he run through a pedestrian crossing. Should we allow cars to cross red lights as long as the don't "knock someone over"? )highlights the exact issue Melanie was highlighting: the fact that most cyclists think that the same rules that apply to cars and pedestrians on the road don't apply to them and that the highway code can be ignored when it suits them.
The net results of this is that other users of the road cannot anticipate what the cyclists behaviour will be making them dangerously unpredictable.
Suggestion - Whenever I ride by bicycle on the road I make sure I treat other cars as if I was dring a motor car myself - I signal for every turn, I stop at red lights and zebra crossings and I make use of both my mirros. It might not make me the quickest rider on the road but at least I know I will not be surpsing my fellow road users.
Finally, as Melanie points out, I don't expect any help from the Labour Goverment on this issue any time soon. I suspect the arrogance of cyclists was enormously strengthened when Labour decreed by law that in any accident between a bicycle and a car the fault will automatically lie with the car. I am certain this "Carte Blanche" protection
convinced many cyclists that they can now officially "do no wrong"

Soreofhing

Come back Ken Livingstone, we love you!
This new chap is a criminal.

Graham Jones

Arrogance is right about some cyclists. It's also right about Boris and Dave - arrogant both of them. Why? Not because they are cyclists surely; no, because they're both Eton educated.

Ann

"I the USA you can turn right on a red light"

Only in some states.

"It's not a huge leap of faith to not mind cyclists turning left on a red here"

This is not the USA. You can't decide which laws you'll obey and which you'll obey only in the American version.

"It's not obligatory to stop at a zebra crossing, it's a judgment thing"

It's obligatory if there's a pedestrian on it.

"Mounting the pavement - some cycle lanes allow cyclists to use the pavement"

Red herring. Was this the case here, or are you just making things up as you go along?

"As a cyclist, I've lost count of the number of times I've had to fling myself out of the way of traffic and pedestrians, most of whom seem to have cycle-blindness. This cuts both ways"

Irrelevant. That's like saying: "I'll burgle this house today and I am entitled to do so because last year someone burgled my hoouse". What an idiotic argument.

"I hardly think this is crime of the century, Melanie. There's plenty more important topics to spend your blog space on"

Nonsense. I know people who were knocked over by lunatic cyclists. And btw, most of my family are cyclists (I am not, for medical reasons), and they cycle carefully, but as a driver I have witnessed hundreds of cases of cyclists riding at night without lights (or helmets, mostly), rushing out of side-streets without looking, weaving in and out between my car and others - and often, if you tell them that they are supposed to observe the Highway Code (which I doubt if you have read) same as everyone else, you get filthy abuse. In my experience, there are careful and sane cyclists, and there are arrogant little t*** who think they are above the law. I am sorry to see that BJ is one of them.

London Calling

Naughty Boris, back to cycling school for him. I bet he remembers the next time he's out and about, now he knows the hungry Mee's Media are plotting his downfall by placing a big foot out at the next junction.

Fine the looneys Tunes who disregard the Highway laws, that will put a stop to all this nonsense, who do they think they are?

Harvey

This is very worrying.... I - ahem - agree with Mel :-O

John East

This demonstrates the arrogance of Boris which is fine by me. We don't want a wall flower as London Mayor.

I gave up complaining about cyclists on the pavement when my local police constable cycled into me when I was walking along the path.

We have to accept that the cyclists have won.

One might think that the health and safety fascists would weigh in on this issue, but their silence is deafening. I suppose they see cyclists as "one of us", i.e. non-motorists and thus safe from persecution.

Frank Pulley

Very bad for the Chalfonts, all this bicycling. Haven't the NHS got enough to contend with, already? Ere long, he'll be known as Boris the Bear - you know, the one with a sore cocyx!
As for mounting the pavement ... well, you know Boris, he'll mount anything. It's apparently the traditional prerogative of the MOL.

Pickwick

But he redeemed himself by cancelling Ken's subscription for 40 copies of the Morning Star !

jose garcia

well at least he wasnt riding in a chauffeur driven limo....!!!

i see some people already wriggling their fingers, how he dares to cross the lights....!!!!

jeez....

Julius Beezer

Pure vinegar.

If you want to understand (and I'm not sure you do) you could read this.

Herbert Thornton

Come on, let's use some common sense. Boris wasn't driving a tank and crushing to death any peasant who got in his way. He was riding a bike and doing no harm to anybody.

It would make more sense to be indignant about people being murdered on Oxford Street in broad daylight.

Hugh Janus

Melanie, don't worry cycling causes impotence so they'll die out eventually. With dual American nationality Boris is quite entitled to drive on whatever side of the damn road he likes.
"Boris's chalfonts?" Ye Gods! How msny Gs is Boris pulling as he corners at the lights?
Boris should stick to jogging not only because men in lycra are untidy but also because all that bumping and grinding in the saddle is liable to reduce his "electoral counts."
Boris for President!
- in 2016.

Ian C

It is for precisely this sort of stupidity that Boris was always a risk. It would be a complete waste of that risk invested in him to throw it away on something so facile as cycling misdemeanours. But he is in a job that requires him to set an example - whether you regard jumping red lights, as a piece of nothing or not. The fact that Cameron has been caught doing similar is also extremely worrying. That both men should not seem to understand the implications of the spotlight being on them is astoundingly stupid of them. Wake up! or you will be out before you are in.

London Calling

Many cyclist have been killed in recent years and still are and whilst improvements are made, such as improved side view mirrors on larger vehicles who otherwise would not see cyclist's at junction's, no amount of mirrors can stop those drivers who drive erratically and without respect for others, particularly cyclist, remember cyclists have no air bag on impact.

I therefore propose that traffic lights at all junctions throughout Britain be fitted with Cycle control to allow cyclists to leave the junction first in which to turn left or go forward. These measures are already in place (but very few) and have proved 100% safe for cyclists against the dreaded Juggernauts and careless motorists..
If my proposal for all traffic lights to be cycle friendly was implemented, then there would be no excuse for cyclists to disregard the highway laws and therefore those who continue to break the law by putting pedestrians and other road users in danger through erratic cycling, then they should be fined as motorists are.

Boris are you listening?

Thom

A cycle helmet is little more than tin-foil hat in the deepest south it seems.

Luckily here in Leeds cyclists seem to have a different sense - they dont wear cycle helmets, and are just plain stupid to boot.

Herb

Come on Mel, chill out! There are people dying in the world, man! At least he didn't shoot anyone! I mean he could have mounted the curb in a car and ploughed through a whole pavement of pedestrians - but he didn't!

phil

this guy sorething hates everybody ;):
"bring back livingstone"--god forbid
Boris we love you -rule forever

Alexandrovich

"I know people who were knocked over by lunatic cyclists. And btw, most of my family are cyclists." Yes Ann, I can imagine.

Hugo, Camden

It's not the going through red lights that causes the problem, it's the failure to give way.

Let cyclists treat lights like pedestrians do. It's only their own lives they're risking.

I save 3 minutes per commute by jumping lights. It adds up to 24 hours a year. That's 3 entire working days spent standing at red lights where there's no one to give way to. Indefensible waste of time.