Bruce is not offering advice to other cyclists or trying to set a trend, but he is being honest.

The 72-year-old retiree says he has ridden through many red lights and does so safely.

'Bruce' says red lights are a hindrance for cyclists.

Bruce (who did not wish to have his last name printed) contacted The Age this week to explain why he often does not stop at red lights when cycling — a recently published research report showed 6.9 per cent of cyclists run red lights.

The figures were obtained Monash University's Accident Research Centre, which used hidden cameras at 10 Melbourne intersections to catch 6.9 per cent of 4225 cyclists observed ignoring red lights.