But the casualty rate in London, whilst unacceptably high is also remarkably low. A few hundred killed or seriously injured every year. Out of billions of events. Something tells me it really isn't that dangerous and a little thought will explain why.

Cars are big. They require a lot of room and are difficult to manouveur. Put a car in the wrong place and the city comes to a grinding halt. Ever seen bicycle gridlock?

Nope, neither have I outside of the London to Brighton, or Pedal for Scotland. Cycles filter through the gaps. They don't take up much space. With appropriate caution they can cross almost any urban junction, irrespective of the priorities as can be seen daily on the streets of the capital. To a cyclist a red light is not necessarily a bringer of safety or improved traffic flow but a technical nicety that serves to hinder rather than help their journey.

So should cyclists really have to wait at red?

From a technical point of view there appears to be little reason to cause a cycle to wait when they could pass through safely without hindering pedestrians. Congestion is not caused by bikes (Critical mass excepted) but by motor vehicles. The Cyclologist's view is that it would be technically appropriate for red lights to be treated like give way signs by bikes.

That includes giving way to pedestrians. There is absolutely no excuse or justification for blasting a junction where pedestrians are crossing.

Conflict with pedestrians aside, what is there about jumping red lights that makes motorists see red? Is it because the cyclist is breaking the law? It can't be because lawbreaking amongst motorists is endemic. Maybe it is someone else gaining an advantage from it in a way that the motorist cannot? Or maybe it is because, at the heart of society we have an unwritten social contract.

That social contract encompasses society. It defines society. It is the way we interact with one another and what defines us as a civilisation. And part of that social contract is observing the law (mostly). Breaking that contract is antisocial. Disturbing ones neighbours at night time. Pushing to the front of the queue for the bus. Having respect for other people and the mores and laws of the society we live in.