MELBOURNE cyclists are running red lights at an alarming rate, with hundreds detected in a covert operation; at one intersection more than one in 10 cyclists ignored the red light.

Hidden cameras placed at 10 Melbourne intersections by the Monash University Accident Research Centre caught 6.9 per cent of the 4225 cyclists observed ignoring red lights.

Colour blind? Cyclists observed by Age photographers in Melbourne city streets over recent days. Credit:Penny Stephens, Wayne Taylor

At one intersection, 13 per cent of cyclists ran the red light.

Cyclists turning left were 28 times more likely to ignore the light than cyclists going straight, and male cyclists were the worst offenders. Female bike riders were 40 per cent less likely than males to run red lights.