Study reveals 'alarming number' of e-scooter riders and cyclists ignoring law in London
A new study has revealed over a quarter of cyclists are not stopping for red lights in London with 41 per cent of e-Scooters also ignoring the law.
Dash Cam maker Nextbase examined at 80 London junctions over a period of several hours, recording the behaviour of over 12,500 road users.
Some motorists also behaved badly with 11% distracted at red lights, including 4% of drivers seen on their phones along with other distractions included eating and drinking as well as smoking and vaping while driving.
The study found Elephant & Castle in South London was among the worst for both running red lights and distracted drivers, while almost no cyclists or e-Scooter riders stopped at the red light at Streatham High Road & Greyhound Lane.
Anette Collins was hit by a bike, that didn't stop at a zebra crossing which left her injured.
"I see the urge to go through red lights, but people also need o know they're gambling with their lives and potentially other people's lives as well," said Ms Collins.
"You're on the road you need to know the rules of the road, the highway code, you need to know how to read traffic and some of these people don't."
Melanie from the London Cycling Campaign reiterates respecting the rules.
She said: "When you're cycling, you have a special responsibility to look out for people walking. We really do want people to obey the rules of the road."
Top junctions for e-Scooter riders and cyclists running a red light:
Streatham High Road & Greyhound Lane: 93.5%
Kilburn High Road & Belsize Road: 80.0%
Elephant and Castle (New Kent Road & Walworth Road): 78.6%
Canning Town & Barking Road: 66.7%
Wandsworth High Street & East Hill: 63.3%
Tooting High Street & Selkirk Road: 63.2%
Clapham High Street & Clapham Park Road: 59.5%
St Martin's Lane & Chandos Place: 58.8%
Brick Lane & Bethnal Green Road: 56.7%
Hampstead Road & Fitzjohns Avenue: 55.6%
Walworth Road & East Street saw a 38% of drivers distracted by phones or other activities while at the traffic lights.
One passerby said: "You see it all the time, some of them don't even look so as a pedestrian it can be a little bit hazardous."
Another said: "You're trying to get to work, and then there's bikes coming left right and centre. It's just generally dangerous."
One cyclist admitted he's run red lights, saying "it's London, it's a very, very fast city. "
Top junctions for drivers distracted:
Walworth Road & East Street: 38.7%
Mile End Road & Burdett Road: 38.6%
Haringey & Turnpike Lane: 32.6%
London Fields & Broadway Market: 31.8%
St Martin's Lane & Chandos Place: 30.1%
Mare Street & Well Street: 28.7%
New Oxford Street & High Holborn: 25.8%
Elephant and Castle (New Kent Road & Walworth Road): 24.7%
Caledonian Road & Pentonville Road: 24.6%
Pall Mall & Waterloo Place: 24.4%
Bryn Brooker, Head of Road Safety at Nextbase, commented: "Junctions can be very dangerous places and must be treated with respect. It doesn’t matter if you’re a driver, a cyclist, or on an e-scooter - running the red light is illegal and puts you and others in danger. Hitting a pedestrian will be life-changing for both you and the victim, and you could easily be hit by traffic coming from another direction. It’s just not worth it, ever.
"This research is not designed to attack cyclists or e-scooter riders. We are simply keen to highlight how a minority of these road users are putting themselves in serious danger.
"Drivers worried about liability in these instances should look into a dash cam, which will always provide a neutral record of exactly who is at fault in the event of a crash.
Below: Moment woman 'goes flying' in e-Bike crash on zebra crossing
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