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Boris: I'll let cyclists turn left at red lights
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard12.03.08
Boris Johnson has pledged to introduce road sensors to improve the flow of traffic on London's roads if he is elected Mayor.
The Tory candidate also wants to rephase traffic lights allowing more time for cars and added that he would consider bringing in the "turn left at red" rule used in America to increase cyclists' safety.
Speaking on BBC2 last night, Mr Johnson said: "There are some traffic lights where cars are idle for too long. There are things you can do with sensors to allow traffic when coming in from a side road to come in more smoothly so the sensor can detect whether there are cars building up to come into the main road or not and if there's no traffic at all then the lights won't change. The whole ideology of the current regime is towards restricting.
"What people are realising is that the more people chew their ties in frustration and bend their steering wheel in a pretzel, the happier the technicians are because they want to use the pain and frustration as a way of stopping people getting into their cars."
But despite saying he wanted to get traffic moving more quickly and would not create more speed bumps, Mr Johnson said he supported the idea of having 20mph zones.
When asked about the "left turn at red" rule in the US - where cyclists can turn against the flow of traffic at junctions to avoid being struck by trucks and larger vehicles - he said: "I do think there is a case for that. We are looking at it and there is definitely a case for cyclists to turn left at red.
"When you look at the casualty figures then there is a clear case. Many women in particular are killed because they are not allowed to turn left on red and they then get crushed by a vehicle that decides to turn left."
But he insisted he was not being prejudicial to pedestrians despite referring to them as "the most dangerous thing on the road" - a joke reference to being knocked off his bike by a pedestrian who ignored a red light. Instead he said he wanted more push buttons on traffic lights where there were none.
Reader views (21)
As a cyclist who has seen one woman with a pram and one old man getting hit by other cyclists in the last week, I think the priority should be to enforce pedestrian traffic lights for all.
This, combined with courier motorbike riders doing 60+, , aggressive bendy buses, and suicidal pedestrians on Moorgate are without the biggest hazard on London's roads.
Cyclists do seem to feel that they've got a right to cut up pedestrians, and jump crossings. However, I don't think that this should stop people from trying to jump lights. Personally, if they leave light jumping to bigger traffic junctions, then I'm happy for Darwin to sort them out.
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- Ben, London
In response to Roger Bunting I believe that the scheme is proposed at busy junctions such as crossroads and not at pedestrian crossings or traffic calming measures. If any Cyclist goes straight through at a junction full of cars coming across their path then they are certainly a braver (or perhaps more foolish) man than me.
- Conor Mcglacken, London
I think Boris is onto something here. I'm not sure how cyclists will be disciplined to make sure they give way to pedestrians who might believe they have priority but I'm sure everyone will get used to it quite quickly.
I'm far more interested in his proposal to speed up traffic light cycles and introduce sensors to better monitor them. Aside from the fact that in a time of computer simulations it should be much easier to identify ridiculous signal priorities, London's planners should visit Paris where signals are much quicker to change at, for example, a crossroads, where there is none of that hanging around for left priority, right priority, opposite priority, pedestrian priority before finally getting a green light.
It take an adjustment to driver, cyclist and pedestrian road-sense but it will not be entirely impossible.
- Emeric, Paris, France
Yes. As could have been predicted when I saw this article yesterday - we have the usual torrent of anti cyclist rhetoric being spouted. Demonic, Lycra clad beasts with flames in their eyes, intent on driving all other road users into the gutter.
The truth is completely different, as a cyclist (as well as a pedestrian, Tube/train rider and driver) in London, the fact remains that if a cyclists puts a foot wrong they risk death and anything which puts cyclists out of harms way, for example the green boxes at the front of lights or allowing left turns on red is a good idea.
Cyclists are often most at danger when, after waiting at a red light, as the light turns green they almost get mown down by the melee of traffic as drivers put the pedal to the metal and jostle for position from the lights.
It is often far safer to pass carefully through the red light to get yourself out of harms way. As for the green boxes, although a useful idea to allow cyclists to get themselves out in the open and visible to traffic, they are usually filled with cars or motorbikes these days, who blatantly ignore them. Cyclists get fined for passing through red lights however. When will motorists get the same treatment for blocking cycle lanes and green cyclist boxes?
- Biker, London
From my observations I did last week see a cyclist that stopped at a red light. It is a rare site, usually they go straight through or divert via the pavement, or perhaps I should say "sidewalk" for Boris who appears to get his ideas from the USA. What is a pretzel ?
- Roger Bunting, Boston, England
Barmy Boris strikes again! Another crack-pot idea from a poor candidate for Mayor. How can anyone expect to remove Ken from office when Boris is the best anyone can come up with?
- Peter, Enfield, England
A lot of the cyclists do this already.
Many cyclists squeeze down the narrowest of gaps to be at the front (putting themselves in harms way) and then meander along in the middle of the road totally oblivious to the congestion behind them.
Other's think they are the only one's on the road and have no concern or consideration for pedestrians or cars (or even other cyclists) whatsoever.
If they scrape paintwork or damage a car, there is no insurance liability; when a friend of mine in a wheelchair was knocked over by a cyclists when all other vehicles had stopped at a zebra crossing, there was no way to bring them to justice.
Yes, bicycles are inherently clean, and environmentally friendly but not all cyclists are so stop treating them all like saints.
- Derek, London, UK
Why not cars as well it is in use all over America for many years & works beautifully,but you must put clear marking on the road, so everyone knows where this is permitted
- Suzette, London
I simply cannot believe there are cyclists that feel that there should be rules in place that make the roads slower and more dangerous for them, for NO reason at all.
If all people in the city knew that cyclists could turn left at red lights, then pedestrians would use their eyes to see if the road is safe to cross, not rely on an electronic system.
- Luke D., Bristol Uk
Good luck in getting Parliament to change the Road Traffic Act!
Does Boris think the Mayor has the power to do this sort of thing?
- Pete, London
As you are keen on fair coverage of the transport plans of each candidate, perhaps you would like to return to Boris's great 'policy' of two weeks back where he not only said that we could expect Harley Davidsons in bus lanes, but that the Mayor was suppressing a report. That report has now been released and contrary to Boris's 'inside information' suggests that motorbikes in bus-lanes would be unsafe. (Well if he was a real cyclist, he'd know that anyway).
Perhaps in the interest of balance you would care to publish that report, rather than Boris's spin?
- Victor, London, GB
Is this it? Allow cyclists to turn left at red? Many cyclists will be apprehensive about this as they will be endangering pedestrians unless you ban pedestrians from crossing the road. Other cyclists don't just turn left at red lights, as we all well know.
Note also that motorists will have more time at lights which can only mean pedestrians get fewer greens or will have to have their sprinting shoes on.
Keep note of all Boris's headline gimmicks. Two weeks back motorbikes were to be allowed to use bus lanes. That's gone quiet as indeed this will. This man has no strategy for transport - well he has - encourage cars and pollution.
Next week we can await his next gimmick - what will it be - lorries to turn right into bus lanes in the congestion zone?
- Harold, London, uk
Ahhh, how refreshing to see healthy debate. There is one candidate in this election whose sole focus appears to be on convincing us that all the others are not up to the job, so how pleasing it is that Boris and Paddick are at least trying to come up with new ideas to convince us that they are worth a shot. Good on them, I say - regardless of your political allegiances, you must all surely agree that the positive politics of Boris and Paddick are vastly more appealing than the smear-based campaign being waged by Red Ken.
- St, London
Fresh, you might realise if you have actually driven in London that London's traffic lights spend a considerable longer amount of time on red than necessary, there is a point where all the lights are on red and this period of time is far longer than necessary.
- John, Birmingham, UK
There are many actions by all road users, cyclists, drivers and pedestrians alike, that flout the rules of the road. Many pedestrians cross when there is a red man to a central island in the road, but the nearside traffic are also on red. Many cyclists, myself included, turn left at red. Many cars perform illegal u-turns (anyone driving over Tower bridge and trying to get onto Wapping High street will know a safe and much used u-turn can save about 10 minutes). Instead of overgoverning the road, why not let people make their own judgement, and everyone appreciate other road users a little more. As a pedestrian, cyclist and van driver, I'm hated in equal measure depending on how I'm propelling myself round our full-to-bursting streets, and we all have to cross the road, many of us drive, and a growing proportion of us cycle. We should be aware and sympathetic towards all road users.
- Maumau, Hackney, London
Great even more risks to pedestrians. Why do they always forget about us!
- Charlie, London
Utter foolishness. Cyclists undergo a lot of bad press for the actions of a lawless few and the negative impression will only be compounded by what will be perceived as special treatment.
If we cyclists wish to be safer, we need to campaign to be treated equally as the vehicles and traffic that we are in the eyes of the law. We need to be perceived, protected and prosecuted in the same manner as any other vehicle operator in accordance with our vulnerabilities.
Once we cyclists start receiving special treatment and on the road laws that are specific to us, the chances that we will be afforded the respect and consideration that we deserve is significantly diminished.
- Andrew Rodgers, Peterborough, UK
Boris, Boris, Boris, this is plain stupidity. As a cyclist who adheres to the rules of the road, I can only say that this will encourage cyclists who already flaunt the rules to really start taking the mickey. I've heard car drivers and motorcyclists excuse themselves for running red lights by stating "well, cyclists get away with it, why shouldn't I?", by throwing this stupidity into the mix things can only get worse for all road users and accidents will increase, next time engage your brain before opening your mouth.
- Marin Eldridge, Pimlico, UK
Boris, so that's your grand masterplan for London's traffic - let cyclists turn left and longer green phasing on traffic lights? Now, maybe I'm wrong, but for every second a light is green at a junction, is there not another that is on red a little longer?
What about my kids who walk to school (as they can and should?). The crossings they take will now be even less pedestrian friendly, and they run the risk of being run over by left-turning cyclists trying to get through before the lights turn green and they get squashed by Ken's increasingly more frequent buses running along traffic free bus lanes with around 70-odd passengers at a time on board.
- Fresh, London, UK
More being done for cyclists yet again, how about coming down on them all like a ton of bricks when cycling on pavements?
- N Grinsell, London, UK
No change there then, cyclist already do this, all the time
- John, Sw14, London
