There’s a strange phenomenon that keeps happening, recently: the enormous number of cyclists and even drivers who think that traffic signals don’t apply to them.  When I’m crossing the road, especially in a busy place such as London or Brighton, between the two of which I spend much of my time, I don’t especially wish to come across a vehicle, either of the two- or four- or more-wheel variety, when they should be stationary at the lights.

The number of times I’ve been about to cross the road, only to have to step back abruptly because of a cyclist, I’ve completely lost count of.  As for vehicles with more than two wheels – and this includes buses – this is my plea to drivers of them to not carry on until they cross the line and block the way.  This is especially noticeable outside the Angel Tube station, where I find myself two or three times a week.  Please – all of you – let pedestrians across without making them dodge your car/hummer/bus/whatever.  It’s not much to ask. 

Quite apart from the fact that dodging lights is illegal, it’s downright dangerous.  Those signals are there so that we can all use the roads as safely as possible and it’s only when someone thinks they’re the most important person using said roads that they become infinitely more dangerous than they need to be.

If we were all a bit more considerate to each other, I wouldn’t be writing this.  Car drivers may wonder sometimes why there might be a thud on their bumpers when they’re waiting at a signal but have gone too far across.  Look behind you – someone’s bag might accidentally-on-purpose have bumped against your car because it’s in the way!!!  Is it any wonder pedestrians get angry, sometimes?  We have as much right to use the roads as you, so when we get treated like second class citizens, it’s irksome, to say the least.

Car drivers, bus drivers, motorbike riders, I’m asking you to learn (or re-learn) a simple but extremely useful art: that of simple respect.  Perhaps then, we would all be happier when using the roads.