If all other traffic has to stop at a red traffic light, how come I’ve seen some cyclists ride through them?
First and foremost, jumping red lights with ANY vehicle is illegal and can result in an on-the-spot fine and prosecution. Cyclists are required to obey all traffic lights and other road signs and signals just like every other road-user – rules 69 and 71 of the current Highway Code are specific reminders of this. Unfortunately there are some people riding bikes who ignore this and place themselves and other road-users in danger by ignoring red lights. Others try to skip round traffic lights by mounting the kerb, riding across the pedestrian areas or crossings and then re-joining the traffic – this is also illegal as it requires riding on the pavement. We do not condone either of these since, as well as being illegal, they not only increase the risk of accident and injury to both the cyclist and other road-users, those who do this also damage the reputation of cyclists in general.
