{"id":389131,"date":"2026-01-03T14:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T14:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/389131\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T14:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T14:19:09","slug":"cyclists-caught-running-red-lights-in-london-will-be-given-the-option-of-watching-a-film-about-a-serious-collision-that-left-a-cyclist-in-a-coma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/389131\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyclists caught running red lights in London will be given the option of watching a film about a serious collision that left a cyclist in a coma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cyclists who jump red lights this year will be offered an alternative to a \u00a350 fixed penalty: watching a safety film about a cyclist who was badly injured in a collision with a bus after running a red light.<\/p>\n

The cyclist, Gabby Stonkute, had cycled headlong into a bus after running a red light at a busy junction close to St Paul\u2019s Cathedral in central London.\u00a0She was in an induced coma for a week, and suffered a collapsed lung, 10 fractures to her face, including a broken jaw, nose, chin and both eye sockets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a rush for a hair appointment,\u201d she told the Financial Times<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m not brave. I was just reckless.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The safety film will feature the CCTV footage of the incident, along with Stonkute sharing her story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey warned me I might be subject to trolling, but I\u2019ll take it as long as it does some good,\u201d said Stonkute.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She added that the fact that the bus driver was going at 15mph instead of the legal limit of 20mph probably saved her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LondonLondon cyclists use Superhighway 6 at Blackfriars (credit: Tilia44\/wikimedia commons\/CC BY-SA 4.0)<\/p>\n

The authorities\u00a0are using Stonkute\u2019s story to highlight the dangers of reckless cycling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They believe that the poor cycling behaviours may be a by-product of the success of wider safety measures. A Local Policing committee report <\/a>said: \u201cIt is now significantly less risky (to personal safety) for City cyclists to run red lights and otherwise cycle dangerously.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re extremely grateful and praise Gabby\u2019s bravery for working with us on a cycling red-light campaign, which will undoubtedly save lives and prevent serious injuries,\u201d said City police constable Brett Daniels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

>\u00a0City of London considers stricter punishments for “dangerous and anti-social” cyclists jumping red lights<\/a><\/p>\n

Fabian Hamilton MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group for cycling and walking, said: \u201cLevels of cycling in London have been increasing in recent years, which is hugely positive. It means less congestion on our roads, improved public health, and that more people are being enabled to make different choices about how they travel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is essential that everyone follows the Highway Code and doesn\u2019t behave in a way that endangers either other people or themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He added “that road traffic police numbers have been\u00a0severely reduced, in the last decade and a half\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One officer added that “our hands are tied, anything greater than \u00a350 requires going to court.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"CityCity of London Police fining cyclists (credit: CityPolice on Twitter\/X)<\/p>\n

Hospitals are seeing the consequences of risky cycling behaviour firsthand.\u00a0At the NHS Royal London Hospital, similar injuries are common.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me that 70 per cent survive and only 25 per cent walk away with no long-term complications. I\u2019m incredibly lucky not to have any of that,\u201d said Stonkute.<\/p>\n

In the first months of 2025, the Royal London Hospital counted 202 limb injuries on traditional bikes and 125 on e-bikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

>\u00a0\u201cI see at least one patient a week\u201d: Doctor claims surge in \u2018Lime bike leg\u2019 injuries linked to tourists and inexperienced riders<\/a><\/p>\n

Jaison Patel, an orthopaedic knee surgeon at the Royal London, said there has been an increase in accidents involving riders or pedestrians. This is partly thanks to the rise in popularity of e-bikes, which are heavier than traditional bikes, so they tend to cause more severe injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cPrevention measures are possible, though how it\u2019s done is beyond our control. What we can do as surgeons is highlight the issue, and hopefully somebody will take notice and do something about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cyclists who jump red lights this year will be offered an alternative to a \u00a350 fixed penalty: watching…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-389131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}