Taxi Driver Online

Cyclists filmed jumping red lights in London taxi drivers' hidden camera footage


Cyclists were filmed jumping red lights by hidden cameras set up by London black cab drivers.



Their footage shows 194 out of 364 riders went through stop signals during the rush hour — just over half.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said it set up hidden cameras after a series of “near misses and confrontations” between its members and cyclists. The association said cabbies put two cameras at what they said were “average” crossroads in the capital.

One was the junction of Hackney Road, Queensbridge Street and Horatio Street in Hackney, the other at the junction of Fortess Road, Highgate Road and Kentish Town Road in Camden.

The LTDA, which has 10,000 members, said each camera filmed between 7.30am and 8.30am at the end of September. In Hackney, 108 out of 170 cyclists jumped the lights, while in Camden, 86 out of 194 bikes rode through at red. LTDA general secretary Steve McNamara said two hour-long versions of the footage were available “ 100 per cent unedited” on YouTube.

He said: “We are constantly hearing from the cycling lobbying groups that cyclists who ride on the pavement, weave in and out of traffic and fail to stop at red lights are a small minority or a small rogue element. This was in stark contrast to what we and most Londoners witness every day.” Mr McNamara, who cycles in the rush hour daily, added: “What we found shocked even us. We’re not anti-cycling, we’re against the unlawful cycling brigade.”

Anyone caught jumping a red light risks a £50 penalty ticket from the police. In an online survey of 1,600 cyclists by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, 57 per cent admitted jumping a red light at least once, with 14 per cent doing it regularly. The reason they gave was that they felt safer getting ahead of the traffic flow.

Mike Cavenett, spokesman for the London Cycling Campaign, said: “ Evidence shows that red light jumping causes a tiny proportion of collisions. This view is backed up by police data showing that only two per cent of London’s cycling collisions are attributable to cyclists going through red lights, while the same data shows that 68 per cent of cyclist-motorist crashes in central London have their main cause attributable to bad driving.”

source: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/c ... 69043.html

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

weren't London's cabbies bestest mates with cyclists to keep PH out of bus lanes?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So it's ok to break the law as long as no one is injured?

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IDFIMH

I can't remember the last time that I saw a cyclist stop for a red light.

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Grandad,

The same argument could then be applied to drivers breaking the speed limit!

But do we say speeding is ok unless someone gets hurt?

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IDFIMH

As someone who is a regular cyclist i break the "rules" far less on my bike than i do when driving taxi/car.Not all drivers are bad but neither are cyclists,but im a lot more aware of them.