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An Apology for Running Red Lights

Riding in Tel Aviv isn’t the safest venture since the bike lanes are often broken and divided by any number of obstacles such as bus stops, trees, motorcycles and scooters and should be avoided. The safest place to ride is in the street even considering the maniacal and aggressive Israeli drivers. It’s also quite enjoyable to blow past all of the cars and buses standing backed up for kilometers.

The most dangerous part of riding in the street, however, is at a red light. Waiting for the light to turn from red to yellow and then to green with the roar of the traffic accelerating behind is not only intimidating but dangerous. The best way to avoid getting caught between accelerating cars and rumbling buses is to run the red light before it has the chance to turn green.

This is legally dubious, sure, but it’s safer for all parties involved. Obviously, one must ensure that no traffic or pedestrians are crossing the street perpindicular but if the biker gets a few seconds or so start, the cars don’t come screaming by so frantically.

Needless to say, one must take responsibility for one’s actions and running a red light is entirely on the shoulders of the rider. One must bear that in mind. Altercations between bikers, drivers and pedestrians are all too common, however.