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“It’s on red, idiot!” I shout, eyes wide and arms raised at the squeaking blur that rushed past me at the crossing.
It was so fast, that my hair actually whipped into my face – forcing me to step back onto the curb. Upon hearing my cry, the delivery driver on his (haphazard, homemade, and most likely not legal) e-bike flipped the bird at me over his shoulder – seemingly uncaring that he ran a red light.
Emmie Harrison-West
Emmie Harrison-West is a freelance journalist, editor and award-winning beer writer, who will be penning a column for Cycling Weekly every fortnight. You can find her cursing Edinburgh’s cycle lanes on the way to the pub, or as @emmieehw on X.
Uncaring that he nearly ran me over because he didn’t bother stopping, though the green man was beckoning me to cross – lulling me into a false sense of security.
I can hardly say I was surprised – this happens to me most weeks in Edinburgh, and has done for years, in every city I’ve ever lived in or visited (except Amsterdam, naturally). The callous, careless nature of it absolutely infuriates me.
Often, “But cyclists run red lights!” is used as yet another chip in the game of ‘anti-cyclist bingo’. I know, drivers are just as guilty; many cyclists (the majority) do not run red lights. I’m not interested in stoking a culture war, and certainly not one that’s dangerous for cyclists, 100 of whom are killed on the roads a year and who come off worse in all car or bike collisions. Cyclists cause just 1-2% of pedestrian deaths in the UK, with cars responsible for 98-99%. It is the small minority who give the rest of us a bad name who I am calling upon to change their ways.
I am a cyclist and I understand we’re vulnerable road users. But regardless if I’m on my bike or using two legs, I wish my fellow people on bikes (whether they engage with the term ‘cyclist’ or not) would obey the rules.
I’ve seen it far too many times. I’ve had young women scream and swear at me as they’ve braked wildly because I stepped out when the light turned red – telling me it was apparently “unsafe for them to stop”.
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I’ve seen delivery drivers and Lycra-clad crews swerve through a red light to avoid elderly pedestrians, and parents picking their toddlers up just in time, or dog-walkers having to pull their pooches back to save them from being flattened under someone’s wheel.
I’ve actually even had one male cyclist knock me over at a red light in London, calling me a “stupid b*tch” after he did so. He cycled off, leaving me in the road – shaken and bleeding, but thankfully only bruised.
“He cycled off, leaving me in the road – shaken and bleeding”
I love cycling. I love the freedom and thrill that it rewards me. Honestly, it is a true privilege to be able to ride a bike and call myself a cyclist – but it’s some other cyclists that make it feel dangerous. That give our wonderful, active, healthy activity a bad name, and let their ego come before people’s safety.
It’s so shocking that cyclists putting pedestrians in danger is such second nature to me that, every time I attempt to cross the road, I look left, right, and then repeat it multiple times before I even begin to step out.
Now, a red light coupled with a green man just isn’t an assumption for safety – it’s not an assumption that I won’t get hurt, or worse. I don’t even bother trying to use zebra crossings, it’s just not worth it.
Because it can be fatal to jump a red. Between 2012 and 2020, one of the 32 pedestrians who were killed by someone who ran a red light was hit by a bike.
And, a total of 17 out of the 385 serious pedestrian casualties hit by someone jumping a red were also hit by a bike. Cyclists may represent the minority, and drivers are undeniably the greater threat, but this carelessness is still costing lives.
Let’s not forget that it’s a criminal offence for anyone – including cyclists – to jump a red light, carrying a fixed penalty notice of between £30 and £50. It’s also an offence to ride through an amber light, too (something I didn’t know until now!) – unless you’re so close to the stop line that stopping could cause a collision. However, I feel like the phrase “it wasn’t safe for me to stop” is morphed beyond recognition, and banded about too wildly as an excuse for selfishness or laziness.
Also, I don’t know about you, but no wonder people run reds – it doesn’t seem like enough of a penalty to me. And, only once have I seen a police officer chase a cyclist that ran a red light.
Red lights and traffic restrictions put in place for the actual safety of very human lives are being routinely ignored, and it’s not fair that some people are doing so for, ultimately, selfish reasons. Plus, in the instance of skipping a red light at a junction, the cyclist puts themselves at far greater risk than anyone else.
And, honestly, what could possibly be more important than risking a life when jumping a red light?
If you’re running late for work, it’s your fault – leave earlier. Traffic isn’t an excuse, your time-keeping is.
Going too fast? Slow down in pedestrianised areas, it’s your responsibility. You should have an expectation of stopping when there are people and crossings around.
Delivering food? Raise it with your union if you have tight timeframes and unattainable targets.
Don’t have working brakes, or brakes at all? Get a new bike.
Some cities have dedicated lights for cyclists, allowing them to move off early
(Image credit: Getty Images)
There is the argument that setting off before the cars and lorries behind may make a cyclist safer, and some cities – Brighton, as an example – have lights that turn green for cyclists early, which is a very good idea. But, this argument does not justify refusing to stop from the moment the light turns red.
It’s a small group of people with egos that could be putting newcomers or commuters off cycling – which is a devastating thought.
I’m not asking for a rewrite in law or legislation to make it more likely for cyclists to be punished – far from it. I’m asking people who think the risk of running a red is worth it to perhaps think twice. To not think so selfishly next time, because it’s not worth it. There is literally not a single excuse that warrants potentially fatal behaviour. Stop means stop.
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