Green travel, red lights

I'm not defending it, but as a part-time bike commuter I can entirely understand why some cyclists jump red lights.

The truth is that cycling through the city centre during rush hour can be a dangerous and scary experience.

If you start off from a set of lights at the same time as a column of traffic, within a few seconds you're going to be passed by dozens of tonnes of metal and plastic going up to twice as fast as you are.

And I can see how it's tempting, when you're at a junction with no pedestrians crossing and no cars turning into the road, to get a head start by moving off before the lights change.

Today's news from the boys in blue though, shows that you now run the risk of being fined if you're caught doing this.

So let's look for a solution to this issue.

It's twofold.

Firstly, cyclists must realise that, if they want to be accepted on the road, they must obey the traffic laws like everyone else.

Drivers aren't going to be patient with cyclists, if cyclists don't have the patience to sit at a red light for a few seconds.

Once moving, of course, the best method of self-preservation is to ride at your own speed in the middle of the lane, making motorists to sit behind you.

Confident ownership of your position on the road is legal and safe - no matter how frustrated a car driver gets, he's never going to simply mow you down from behind.

But secondly, motorists need to appreciate that all cyclists - the bad apples and the law-abiders - are in a very vulnerable position on the road.

Rush hour traffic doesn't travel much faster than cycling speed anyway and there's no point in putting someone's life in danger for the sake of getting to the next set of traffic lights a few seconds faster.

So if motorists give cyclists respect and space, while cyclists stick to the rules applicable to all road users, there shouldn't be a problem.