I’ll admit it: I’ve cycled through red lights. But Britain’s traffic laws are to blame, not me | Simon Jenkins
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>The essence of cycling is to keep moving, but London’s chaotic roads often make this difficult. My solution: fewer, not more rules</p><p>I plead guilty. I have loved and used the streets of London all my life, as a cyclist, driver and pedestrian. Touch wood, I have done so without accident, blemish or insurance claim. Yet now I find myself perpetually on the wrong side of the law. Regulation has become bureaucratic and chaotic.</p><p>When I try to drive at the authorised speed of 20mph on many through roads, I am hooted at and overtaken by vans, cars, coaches and buses. And when I sit dutifully on my bike at a traffic light, I am jostled by swarms of cyclists riding through on red, furious at being treated as if they were car drivers.</p><p>Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/21/cycling-britain-traffic-laws-london-chaotic-roads">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
The essence of cycling is to keep moving, but London’s chaotic roads often make this difficult. My solution: fewer, not more rulesI plead guilty. I have loved and used the streets of London all my life, as a cyclist, driver and pedestrian. Touch wood, I have done so without accident, blemish or insurance claim. Yet now I find myself perpetually on the wrong side of the law. Regulation has become bureaucratic and chaotic.When I try to drive at the authorised speed of 20mph on many through roads, I am hooted at and overtaken by vans, cars, coaches and buses. And when I sit dutifully on my bike at a traffic light, I am jostled by swarms of cyclists riding through on red, furious at being treated as if they were car drivers.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
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