People Keep Running Red Lights - Should I Report Them to Police?

Hi all,

I ride to work on a pushbike. Some mornings (I would estimate 1 in 10 rides) people run red lights at the pedestrian/bike crossings.

I ride with a GoPro on my helmet for my own safety (almost like a dashcam I guess) but this camera picks up these things happening.

The way I ride is I hit the button to cross and then I check (visually) that the cars have actually stopped. I don't cross until I am 100% sure that all the cars have stopped. So I'm not technically affected by these people running the lights, but it still bothers me.

On one hand, I'm tempted to give these videos to police for follow up. Then again, on the other, I think maybe that person was running late/had just woken up/any other excuse that might have caused them to run the red.

Examples of these events are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqF6bJcCzGw (note - this is old footage, someone else just ran the red this morning as well and that video isn't up yet).

Should I report them to police or just live and let live?

Poll Options

  • 205
    Report to police
  • 38
    Leave it

Comments

  • +1

    I don't think the police can do anything with someone else's footage in terms of charging them. (Same with Dashcam footage).

    But I do think you should ask and see what they say. Running a red light at a pedestrian crossing is pretty serious vs speeding.

    All it would take is one day you/someone else is offguard and something happens.

    • +4

      I have handed dash cam footage and photos to police on many occasions and they are always happy to receive it. Most times I have reported that I have footage, they have sent a patrol car to my house and turned up with their own USB stick to collect it.

      If it clearly shows the offence and the vehicles number plate, then it’s a good chance the police will want it and will pursue it if it means making revenue. But in saying that, I guess it also comes down to the local area command and if they want the hassle of the associated paperwork. My LAC are are highway patrol happy and love ticketing people. So when video comes to them and they don’t even have to leave their office to catch offenders, they jump at the chance.

      I always follow it up and they can’t tell me what the outcome was or any other details, but they always tell me that infringement tickets were issued based on my evidence.

  • Do you have their name or license details? If not then font think police will do anything as this is too time consuming and not much penalty they can made.

    • +2

      I usually read out the rego details as they go past which is caught by my microphone, so I do have their rego.

      • +8

        If you want any chance of police doing something, you'd have to catch it on your GoPro. Reading it out isn't useful at all - you might misread, you might be making it up, you might be reading another plate, etc.

        • +19

          switches GoPro to 4k

        • I would have thought that video evidence without a third party witness would be just rubbish in court. Unless the police use it to get a confession beforehand.

          Tamperproof video footage just doesn't exist yet.

    • +22

      For pedestrians? Seems obvious

      • -7

        What happened to zebra crossings? Or having the crossing at an intersection?

        • +8

          Zebra crossings are not that good on high speed or high traffic roads (not enough cars get through, cars get impatient, cars dart through dangerously).

          Sometimes it is better for pedestrians to have crossing in a different place to the road intersection - better connection with other footpaths, don't have to cross extra slip-roads, whatever…

          • -8

            @abb: Agree with the first point. Pretty hard disagree with the second - those are trivially solved and are themselves far smaller issues than putting in traffic lights in the middle of a straight stretch of road.

        • +3

          Zebra crossings are a terrible idea on normal roads. I follow European local news and every other day there's a story about a pedestrian being mowed down on a crossing without lights. We have it right here. If there's a crossing there will be lights installed.

          • -4

            @Cluster: That's not really that bad if you consider how many people are in Europe and how many kms are driven each day in Europe. One incident per day? If that's all, that'd be absolutely amazing.

            But yeah - I'd personally also prefer that the crossing just be moved to the nearest intersection.

            • +2

              @HighAndDry: The nearest signalised intersection along that road is approximately 500m away, so about 1km round trip. That intersection also appears to require 2, possibly 3 pedestrian walks to get across from one side to the other.
              I'd personally prefer people are responsible for driving their vehicle in a safe manner and think about other road users.

              Also, fun fact, this is a smart pedestrian crossing (if they have it enabled). If you don't stand in the designated area or walk out of the area once pressing the button your demand will be cancelled. Also, there's cameras pointed across the crossing to detect where you are along the pedestrian crossing which will extend the walk time if you're slower or end it earlier if you're faster then the standard amount configured.

        • On 60k+ roads cars simply don't stop even if there's high visibility. There was one near my mum's house when I was about 12, 60ks and I never saw a single car stop there, I'd have to avoid the cars as I crossed. It might have just been because it was Queensland, but I wouldn't bother with one on a 60k+ road. You could change a small part of the road to 40 and put in a zebra crossing, but people would complain about that too.

        • In my experience many drivers don't even seem to care about pedestrians at intersections.
          Very few drivers seem aware that they're required to give way when turning across the path of pedestrians proceeding straight ahead, at both signaled and unsignalled intersections.
          I've heard all sorts of excuses: that must be a different state (the rule is national as far as I'm aware). The rule must be new (goes back to at least the 80s everywhere I've checked)…

          • @CacheHunter:

            Very few drivers seem aware that they're required to give way when turning across the path of pedestrians proceeding straight ahead, at both signaled and unsignalled intersections.

            This is actually one that I've been aware of and try to follow, but yeah - which noone else seems to really know. And I don't really blame other drivers: it's not publicised or taught anywhere, and even pedestrians are under the misconception they're supposed to give way to cars at those intersections. It even makes intuitive sense, because it's a pedestrian crossing a road.

          • @CacheHunter: It should be a mandatory qive way question in the learner's test so people are more aware of it. They should know it if they actually read the road rules book.

            It's usually safer if your a pedestrian to just assume people in cars are not going to give way to you if they are turning across your path.

  • +7

    Better to just get on with life.

    • +4

      Next minute misterpotatomato's dead because some moron ran a red light when he was crossing the road.

      It's dangerous, I'm sure you'd flip your shit if someone ran a red light when YOU were crossing the road…

      • +1

        Cars, bikes and pedestrians often don't stop on the red signal. I see it every day in the CBD. Not just the traffic lights, but also pedestrian crossings.

        Never assume that everyone will be stopping when they should.

        • -2

          That's nice.

  • +3

    Does qld (based on OP profile) have any form of online reporting system? If so, why not report it. If it happens every day they might end up putting a camera there. If not, don’t bother reporting unless it is blatant and a serious near hit.

    From what I’ve read on cycling forums taking it into your local station is very hit and miss in terms of actual outcomes.

    Then again, on the other, I think maybe that person was running late/had just woken up/any other excuse that might have caused them to run the red.

    No excuse is good enough. If you run a red, you deserve a ticket. - and before anyone gets in there last week I quite possibly pushed an orange to far because I was running late and fully deserve a ticket if I get one, but I hope I don’t.

  • +8

    I overlook an intersection where cyclists run red lights all the time. Some of their tactics are pretty amusing. The most common is to ride to the pedestrian crossing and then run that red light instead. Very common for them to pretend they caught the end of the green and just bluff. I've even seen cyclists raging over pedestrians not giving way when both of them were against the red light.

    • +6

      I was also tempted to make a crack about the irony of a cyclist complaining about others running red lights, but from OP's video they seem to be one of the good ones.

      There will be bad ones all around, cyclists and drivers, so (imo) no point focusing only on those to judge the whole cohort. Lord knows I hate other drivers too.

      • +2

        Ironically for a crossing like that shown in the OP's video I generally would run the red light… to avoid interrupting the flow of car traffic. If the traffic is reasonably light and there's clear visibility like that it's easy to cross safely on a bike without hitting the light, so no need to stop the cars at all.

    • Record it, take it to the police. Simples.

  • +3

    when you are cycling to you yourself follow every road rule correctly?

    • +4

      Apparently not because OP used the pedestrian crossing to make a U turn. Using the pedestrian crossing you're supposed to dismount and walk.

      • haha exactly pot calling the kettle black

      • +11

        Sorry, what? I have never heard of this road rule. In QLD you are allowed to ride across pedestrian crossings. If you have ridden across a pedestrian crossing you are now on the other side of the road so unless you want to ride against the flow of traffic you would have to do a U turn. If you have a reference for this road rule that'd be great.

        • +7

          You are correct that you are allowed to cycle across a crossing in Queensland. This rule differs by state and plmko may be in a state where it's prohibited (such as Victoria where I am).

          QLD: Transport Operations (Road Use Management - Road Rules) Regulation 2009

          248 Riding across a road on particular crossings

          (1) This section applies to the rider of a bicycle who is at—
          (a) a children’s crossing; or
          (b) a marked foot crossing; or
          (c) a pedestrian crossing.

          (2) The rider may ride across the crossing only in accordance with this section.
          Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.

          (3) The rider may ride across a children’s crossing or pedestrian crossing only if the rider stops as near as practicable to the crossing before riding across the crossing.

          (4) The rider may ride across a marked foot crossing only if—
          (a) for a crossing with bicycle crossing lights—the rider is allowed, under this regulation, to ride across the crossing; or
          (b) for a crossing without bicycle crossing lights—a pedestrian is allowed, under this regulation, to cross the crossing.

          (5) The rider may ride across the crossing only if the rider—
          (a) proceeds slowly and safely; and
          (b) gives way to a pedestrian on the crossing; and
          (c) keeps to the left of an oncoming rider of a bicycle or a person who is using a personal mobility device.

          (6) In this section—
          pedestrian does not include a person using a personal mobility device.

          VIC: Road Safety Road Rules 2017

          248 No riding across a road on a crossing

          (1) The rider of a bicycle must not ride across a road, or part of a road, on a children's crossing
          or pedestrian crossing.
          Penalty: 3 penalty units.
          Note
          Children's crossing is defined in rule 80, and pedestrian crossing is defined in rule 81.

          (2) The rider of a bicycle must not ride across a road, or part of a road, on a marked foot crossing, unless there are bicycle crossing lights at the crossing showing a green bicycle crossing light.
          Penalty: 3 penalty units.
          Note
          Marked foot crossing is defined in the dictionary.

          • @ascorbic: I pissed off a cyclist trying to ride across the flow of foot traffic at a pedestrian crossing at Flinders St. Everyone was scrambling to get out of the way, I just kept walking. I don't mind if they go with the foot traffic or if it's quiet and they're not getting in the way.

          • @ascorbic: It would be interesting to note the definition of a "pedestrian crossing" in VIC; if the crossing is on a bike or shared path, is it still a "pedestrian" crossing? It would seem silly to make a cyclist riding on a path they're allowed to dismount to then cross a road only to mount again on the other side and ride on (which is not to say that the law wouldn't do that!).

            The difference in the laws is consistent with the rules for riding on footpaths in the states; in VIC you can't ride on the footpath, so it makes sense that you wouldn't be able to ride on a pedestrian crossing, and in QLD you can ride on the footpath so it makes sense that you would also be able to ride on a pedestrian crossing.

  • I can understand road rage and people running lights; especially in cities. It's a struggle to get to work in traffic, get home from work in traffic, go shopping and struggle to find a parking spot, get to the swimming pool or gym and everything is crowded. The irony is, in the worst places to drive (major urban / city areas), it is easier not to drive. I used to live in urban Melbourne and only drove the car to go kayaking on some weekends. There is so much more freedom riding a bike, especially if you avoid the major roads, and bike tracks are awesome. Urban / city areas are actually fun on a bike; it's a real adventure. Things aren't going to get better with traffic. I've seen the future :) A recent trip to Thailand and riding a scooter through the center of bangkok a couple of times (to collect a hire scooter, and then to return it - we travelled rural thailand). I try to look for the best wherever I live - when in the city I ride or go public transport. I go nuts if I get caught in traffic and ask myself "why am I here?" All that time in the car isn't really your time; it's wasted time or even worse. Time on a bike or walking is your time, and when you get home you've already had your exercise. Time on a train or bus, well at least you can read.

  • +4

    There's obviously a problem at that particular area if it's happening that often. Maybe a visual distraction, light visibility (too high / trees?), or blind around corners? Have you made this journey via car?

    As you mention in the comments on the video:

    The first time it happened I figured it was just a chance encounter, but as it has happened twice now the stop signals here are clearly not visible enough and visibility needs to be improved before someone gets killed. I think a factor in this is the sun rising in the east may be blinding drivers from seeing the lights as they are.

    If you want something done about it, bring the attention to your local council as they're the ones who need to 'fix' the problem. Fining a couple of people won't solve the problem (though they should be fined and be more aware of their surroundings!)

    • Agree. It would be far better to contact the council, local mp or roads service in your state about it and try to get them to make it safer for people to cross.

    • +1

      I actually did this, and the council did install a set of lights up the road to warn people of the crossing which has helped.

      • If it hasn't helped enough, then bring it back to their attention. Councils don't always get it right the first, second or even third attempt ;)

  • Yes OP, video everything and send it to the police.

  • +7

    What bothers me more is all of the lycra bandits who think red lights don't apply to them.

    • +5

      This bothers me too. I once saw a cyclist cut in front of a car on a road. When the car beeped him the cyclist gave him the finger.

      I wasn't close enough to get his details though…

    • -5

      Cyclists should have to be registered, with the cost just being ctp for cyclists for when they cause an accident. Then when they do something stupid and are caught in camera they can be charged and fined instead of being anonymous (profanity) getting away with this crap all the time.

      • -2

        Oh dear, and what does a car cost to the planet and right now our health. And the cost for massive infrastructure to move and to park? It's a lose lose. Your time and health while in a car. A bike is a win win. Far less energy and resources used in manufacture, no polution, a fraction of the parking and pathway infrastructure cost to us the taxpayers. How often do cyclists cause accidents? That's a strange comment.

        • +1

          I have seen a few near misses in my time, and heard of one hit and run of a pedestrian (cyclist hit them on a pedestrian crossing when they were riding on the road, proceeded to yell profanities at the poor girl for a few seconds for not getting out of his way, and then get back on his bike and ride off. Girl got either a broken or sprained ankle plus bruises).

          It is true that bikes are good for the environment and taking a load off transport infrastructure - but at what cost? The 'professionals' (the Lycra clad ones that ride in the middle of car lanes) have an appalling attitude and don't know the road rules or else think they don't apply to them. They also seem to think they should get top priority in every situation. For example, the cyclist lobbying organisation railed against speed limits on shared pathways for pedestrian safety, and yet seem to think cars should go slowly for their benefit when they're on the road - pure hypocrisy. Either the slower vehicle has to watch out for the faster vehicle, or the faster vehicle has to be considerate of the slower vehicle - can't have it both ways.

          They should need to take an Ls style computer test of road rules geared towards cyclists to be allowed to ride on the road, the maybe the madness would stop…

          OP though doesn't seem like one of these guys however

          • -1

            @Quantumcat: So you are advocating for bicycle licensing as well as registration. What about children on their tricycles, noddycars (mobility scooters) who rarely give way to people on foot, skateboarders who are very capable of injuring pedestrians with wanton behaviour on the footpath, roller skates and of course include those shoes that have wheels built-in that allow kids to reach dangerous speeds, and shopping trolleys (when fully loaded on a downward slope can cause serious damage to cars or pedestrians). For licensing and registration, in some states the cost is $500-1000 per year, with a discount for you two-wheeled lycra-powered beast, perhaps a $250/yr would be expected? I can't imagine that would entice many people out of their cars or public transport onto a bicycle that you have to sweat to move.

            The real question is, where does it stop? Also, there is a risk to other road users/peds with bikes, and they certainly infuriate and slow some traffic, but on balance the bikes are doing far more for the greater good than the rest of us petrol-guzzling drivers.

          • +3

            @Quantumcat: The way I ride is, simply put, 2 tonne car versus me, who's going to win? The car of course.

            In relation to the busy crossing example, yeah I'd walk that. People tend to hate cyclists by default (or prior experience) so I try to ride safely. I even thank people out loud when they move on a footpath or move their kids lol.

            There are a tonne of idiot cyclists though. Some people think they are invincible when they ride, and they simply aren't. I ride to lose weight and feel better and it's great for that.

            I used to have a full on racing Bike with electronic gears,I sold it and bought the heaps slower commuter I have now. It's so much more relaxing haha.

            I'm sorry you've had poor experiences with cyclists. For what it's worth, registration won't fix it any more than registration fixes hoons in cars or the like. Plus it will just make more people give up on using bikes as a form of exercise.

            • +2

              @misterpotatomato:

              For what it's worth, registration won't fix it any more than registration fixes hoons in cars or the like. Plus it will just make more people give up on using bikes as a form of TRANSPORT.

              …. which will increase traffic congestion.

              FTFY

            • @misterpotatomato:

              For what it's worth, registration won't fix it any more than registration fixes hoons in cars or the like.

              I agree with most of your observations, but I think this statement is just untrue. The reason why we have licensing and registration for cars (aside from the collection of revenue) is to make drivers accountable for their actions.

              It's so that when a car hits another car, security footage can tell who it is, it's so that when a car runs a red light, it can be caught on camera, it's so that when a driver continually drives badly, they can lose their license and get taken off the road.

              If you're suggesting that registration does not fix hoons in cars, then that would imply that if we simply removed registration and licensing tomorrow, there would not be more hoons on the road. That's, of course, not true.

              I'm not suggesting that bikes be registered, I think that's a terrible waste of taxpayer money, but I do think that police need to be more vigilant about cyclists doing the wrong thing on the road. I also think that the majority of cyclists ride safely and that conflict with car drivers are more about speed (i.e. they're just slow + in the way) rather than the breaking of any road rules.

          • @Quantumcat: Hard to believe but 79% of cyclist deaths are caused by drivers.

            http://theconversation.com/rising-cyclist-death-toll-is-main…

            Last pedestrian killed by a cyclist was in 2006.

            http://www.executivestyle.com.au/when-cyclist-and-pedestrian…

            165 pedestrians died last year, majority in accidents with motor vehicles.

            https://bitre.gov.au/statistics/safety/

            • @BhanuL:

              Hard to believe but 79% of cyclist deaths are caused by drivers

              Why? Cyclists are sharing the road with Big Heavy Metal Objects that accelerate extremely quickly and are driven by easily distracted and fallible drivers.

              The question I have is why aren't there more deaths?

              A pedestrian once every 3 days! I would of thought 1 per day.

          • @Quantumcat: Quantumcat

            Block-quote road rules geared towards cyclists

            Same road rules apply to motorists when sharing the road.
            The middle of the lane is often the safest place to ride.
            The term "car lane" is incorrect.

    • +1

      Odd… why does that bother you more? My level of bother is proportionate to the mass of the thing breaking the light - big trucks bother me more than cars which in turn bother me more than cyclists which in turn bother me more than pedestrians.

  • +3

    Just start making lots of your own compilation videos and profit from YouTube views. Take some time to learn how to edit properly and what thumbnails and titles are going to give you the most views (you can find free Udemy courses on that). If you keep posting regularly you'll get subscribers and after a few months you'll have a nice extra income from adsense.

    • Are you for real?

      • +1

        Yes, why not? It takes a little while but eventually it's a great secondary source of income. Primary source for some!

        • I'll have to look into this. I think you need more than a certain number of subscribers before you can run ads on your youtube channel though (i think its about a thousand?)

          • +1

            @misterpotatomato: You can fast-track that process by registering your own domain either .com or .com.au and setup a basic wordpress page for Google to verify with and they will process your adsense same day. No subs needed

          • +1

            @misterpotatomato: YouTube’s new rules require anyone who wants to generate ad dollars on the platform to first generate 4,000 hours of “watchtime” over a 12-month period, and to attract at least 1,000 subscribers.

            https://www.recode.net/2018/1/16/16898660/youtube-content-ad…

            • +1

              @bongom: I haven't created any new channels for a while but according to the google search I just did the method I mentioned above about having your own domain name still fast-tracks the process. It will cost you a little to buy and host a domain initially but if you're just using it to redirect to your youtube site it shouldn't be much in hosting fees. Don't take my word for the fast-track process though, it's just something that's always worked for me in the past when setting up a new channel.

              Anyway 4,000 hours or 1,000 subs doesn't take too long if you post regularly, comment on other similar channels, make links etc. One will go viral in no time with the right editing.

              Some reading: https://www.mrvyasidea.com/adsense-approval-trick.html

    • +1

      That's a great idea. I love watching the crazy russian driving videos.

      • Yeah, many people end up watching those videos at 3am in the morning :). You don't even need to create your own videos as you can just make new compilations from what others have under the "fair use agreement". Just have to make sure you have done your research on how to reference correctly and create the the video in a new way to avoid any take-down or copy-write issues. It's a much longer process to earn money that way though but the rewards are still there long term if persistent.

  • +1

    Not wanting to excuse bad driver behaviour, but it looks like a case of poor road planning / design to me.

    You're chugging along Paradise Road which looks like your average suburban dual carriageway.

    You pass the Meakin Road traffic light intersection and see this sign informing you of things that aren't permitted on the motorway. Bicycles are one of those things.

    At this point you're probably subconsciously thinking that you're heading onto the motorway and you won't see any bicycles.

    Then you hit this crazy roundabout sign which, if you're not familiar with the area, you need to quickly decipher to work out where you want to go.

    All this combines to make that crossing pretty unfriendly to anyone who uses it. The way some of those drivers cruised through the intersection was like it didn't even register. Only seemed to be a problem heading west to east too.

    No idea why they wouldn't run an underpass somewhere in the vicinity. There's one about 300m further west from the problem crossing that runs under the road at Slacks Creek, so it can be done. It actually looks like it'd be possible to run a bike path between that underpass and the signal crossing without major works being required as there seems to be enough space on the side of the road barring one small creek crossing where the culvert could probably be extended slightly.

    • +1

      The roundabout is affectionately known as suicide roundabout in these parts 😂

    • You have too much time in your hands.

      But upvoted for effort.

    • From you links I also saw that Street View very ominously shows a father and baby in a pram walking towards "The Crossing of Death…" - as A Current Affair might call it
      Screen snap

      If OP wants quick action from the council/police, redo the video replacing cyclist with a parent with a new born in a pram.

  • -8

    Typical Aussies, snitches

    Cops wont do anything, they are useless. Even if they did do something why would you want to give them more revenue?

    • +6

      It's not really snitching if your life is at risk, is it?

      Did you watch OP's video? Someone blasted their horn at him after they ran a red light.

      I suppose you could go vigilante justice wing mirror kicking if you really wanted to, but that's not going to do anything but land you in court for malicious damage.

    • To try stop knob ends from doing the wrong thing on the road? Every day I see people running reds, it's so dangerous for other road users. Honestly it's not hard, just follow the instructions.

  • +1

    Really depends..

    If it's late at night and there's no one around and the car has full visibility of the intersection they are running.. join them in doing so to save time.

    If it's dangerous, yes report them as you may save a life in the future.

  • -3

    You riding on the footpath in that video OP?

    • +3

      Yeah but you can do this in Queensland just fine

  • +1

    Ah Logan, such a beautiful part of QLD.

  • Wow, that is shocking. 100% report this.

  • There's no excuse for running a red light. Report them.

    Why are you apologizing in the second crossing in the video???

    • +1

      The comments on the YouTube video explain why. I thought I was in the wrong and had misread the traffic lights. I couldn't think how else three cars could run that light.

      • Fair enough. Yea that crossing is bad.

        Most pedestrian only traffic lights on a highway generally are. If they aren't used a lot by peds, most drivers don't think of them as somewhere they need to stop, so in their autonomous state of driving, they ignore or don't even realise there's a set of lights there.

  • -5

    Snitch

  • +1 for this, do it, people have to be held accountable

    Can we also start doing the same thing for people littering/throwing cigarette butts out of car windows? That shit really pisses me off

    • +1

      You can report littering from a car easier than a dangerous driver in NSW. Online via the EPA vs the lottery of taking footage/report to a police station.

  • +2

    One of my neighbours made a similar complaint to the police regarding people running the red light and speeding at the end of his street all the time. He provided them with videos and they set up a temp police camera at the location. A month or so later everyone there seemed to be driving well after having received fines :)
    Road safety is v imp and you should definitely talk to the police about it. Cheers!

  • Definitely in favour of reporting it, it seems likely that a lot of these drivers would take this route regularly so doesn't look like they'll be learning anytime soon without intervention.

  • Its ridiculous if they can't issue an infringment when they have camera evidence. Why can they do it to someone who throws something out of a car window and gets reported, but not to a dangerous illegal action on the road?

    Exactly.

  • i find some cyclists just dont want to stop…

  • +1

    Wow OP even said "sorry" in the video time 1:38-1:40 when the car sounded the horn and it clearly showed the car was wrong!!!! This infuriates me.
    Those drivers need to be taught a lesson!

  • Seems so consistent that it can't be intentional by the drivers. They probably should put in a pedestrian bridge or move the crossing up to somewhere that has an actual intersection.

  • +2

    I'm waiting for a "Some idiot sent GoPro footage of me running a red light to the police who now want to fine me, what should I do?" thread.

    • +2

      hmm… we can just reply: "Just pay the fine - learn the lesson and move on"??

  • Not a direct answer, but related…

    I drove in England for many years and rarely saw anyone jump a red light, yet here in Australia I see it daily.

    The lights are poorly timed here (if at all) meaning the flow of traffic is constantly interrupted by red lights.

    Also here, traffic lights control the flow in every direction (left, right, straught), very rarely intersection turns are not coltrolled. Meaning lights are on red significantly longer and traffic is stopped for no reason when a left or right turn could be made easily.

    People switch lanes here at lights, even to one with an marginally shorter queue, yet with no intention to go any faster than the cars next to them due to the fear of speeding. Particularly trucks like to block all 3 lanes at the lights.

    Because lights are often needlessly on red, we need many lanes for the traffic to queue at the lights,which often then merge immediately after the lights. With cars cutting in, it means the traffic cannot progress smoothly through the lights.

    Because the lights are on red for a long time, people find stuff to do when waiting…. Eat, makeup, texting etc. So they often don't notice when they finally turn to green and hold up the traffic.

    All if this leads to understandable frustration and so many people jumping the red light to get through so they don't have to wait pointlessly again. It's a problem that doesn't need to exist, but the government likes to control us, so we don't have to think for ourselves.

    It also brings in big revenue from red light cameras.

  • 100% report it mate, this is outrageous. Watched your full video and just bewilders me that car had the audacity to honk you while running a red light!!!

  • Running red lights is a cardinal sin in driving just like drink driving.

  • id say report it.
    I was in Woden area of Canberra the other day at a large traffic intersection and about 6 cars streamed through after the lights had turned red, i.e I was on a full green and the cars just kept coming through, yes I have it on dashcam footage.

    I think we all make mistakes occasionally and that can be dangerous, be it car, motor bike, cyclist etc,
    but the blatant red light running is downright dangerous and shows complete disregard for all other road users.

    In the ACT, cyclist had to dismount at shared/footpath crossings, but that has recently changed and they now do not have to.
    But I think that is also dangerous as I see a lot of cyclists just going 10 to the dozen crossing at lights and at that amount of meters per second, it is very dangerous as vehicles check and its clear, then all of a sudden there is a bike on the crossing.
    The idea is that they are meant to slow appropriately, maybe walking pace, and cross in a safe manner. Some do and some don't.
    I teach my kids to dismount about 2 meters from the crossing, check traffic, then proceed while checking.

  • +1

    Is there an app where the general public can upload photos and videos of car drivers’ offences?

    • If they could what would be the intent of an app like this I wonder?

  • Snitches get stitches

    • …cyclists get smushed into the ground

      (not as much of a ring to it)

      At what point would you personally report something to the police? What would it take?

      • N/A.

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