Absolutely 
The debate is when there are ~10 of you, going at 20mph+ approaching a green light. You can make it. Some of you do make it.
But lights are yellow (= stop) or even red (= stop) before the whole group is through.
It’s never safe to slam on the brakes from that speed in a group. You have to act like one vehicle about the size of a bus and continue.
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Then just do an Idaho stop.
Come to a complete stop. Look both ways. Then proceed once safe to do so.
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I had a situation over the weekend where the cars being too cautious were the ones causing the problem with the sensors. I had the bike trailer on (empty but I’m sure they couldn’t tell) so I think the first car in line was being too safe and stayed several car lengths back. They were not getting that the reason we sat 5 light cycles and I finally just had to go when it was safe was because they would not move up and trigger the light.
Had there been no cars I would have gone sooner, but I was trying to NOT be that cyclist running a red light.
It’s people behaving badly regardless of the vehicle.
For me it’s : Respect the rules of the road, hold your line, be predictable and be assertive when you need to.
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My club had a big group ride. It helped that club officers would step up once or twice a year and lay down the law. Or, they’d speak up on the ride itself. If the ride is just an unaffiliated pick up ride, I’m not sure how you lay down the law.
How do you absolutists manage traffic lights that are operated and triggered by electromagnets placed into the road to detect the arrival of cars?
Do you just sit there until you die of old age?
Turn around and find an alternate loop?
These represent a significant majority of the lights I encounter on a daily basis.
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I’m still posting from some temporary lights they put up in 2013 right now.
Rules are rules. 
My kids will understand when they become parents.
———
True absolutists know that the rules in the UK include deciding the safest option for yourself when conditions demand it.
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RIP
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How do you absolutists manage traffic lights that are operated and triggered by electromagnets placed into the road to detect the arrival of cars?
I’ve had pretty good luck with putting my bike on its side, drive-side down (holding the handlebars, not putting the bike all the way to the ground but getting it fairly close to the sensors). Generally there’s enough metal in the drivetrain, even on my carbon bike, to trip the sensor if it’s close enough. It doesn’t work all the time, but it is pretty successful.
If that doesn’t work, as someone else mentioned, I’ll wait one or two cycles and then proceed when it’s safe. This is the same rule as for cars and non-functional traffic lights. But I would only do that with good line-of-sight for oncoming cars. If I didn’t have good visibility, I’d probably make my way to the crosswalk and use that (if it exists), or else I would probably just avoid that intersection like the plague.
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That seems like a bit of a leap in logic……there is a massive difference between saying “you should stop for red lights” to thinking that means you have to sit there until it turns green.
Pretty sure everyone recognizes there are circumstances where you will have to proceed against a red light when it is safe to do so. That doesn’t negate the idea that you should stop first.
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I try to do the same thing. I have one route I take which has a long straightaway with multiple intersections. But 2 lights are there only to allow residents of their apartment buildings to get out when it’s busy. But 7am on weekends this stretch is extremely dead so it’s annoying if the light turns red. If no cars are around I just slow and roll through. If cars are around I just wait at the red light like they do
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I’m not a big fan of larger group rides. Under 10 would be my preference. There are some larger rides around me and for the reasons you state they are sticklers about following rules. They are constantly posting on their fb about making it clear people need to follow the rules and about issues that have come up
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I had a cop try to bait me at such a light who clearly wanted to ticket me. This was on a commute well before dawn with no one around except me and the cop. The cop was coming the opposite direction. The I waited at the light, expecting the cop to come to the intersection to trigger the light. The cop instead stopped 20 feet back so they wouldn’t trigger it. Not being an idiot, I went over to the corner and used the crosswalk signal (which I would have normally done at that intersection).
But no, some people clearly do not believe that there are circumstances where you have to go through a red light. Not if it allows them to write a ticket.
Fortunately my state changed the law and now allows cyclists to treat red lights as stop signs.
To go to the main topic of conversation, my bike groups are (fortunately) good and stop for red lights. Despite the law allowing us to treat red lights as stop signs, I don’t think I’ve even been in a group that road through a red light after stopping. Probably for the best since it could take a while for a group to get through. I think that particularly law is meant for individual cyclists.
But we aren’t talking about jackwagon cops in this scenario….we are talking about other cyclists.
Here’s an example, with video. I was on the front when the group got to a light. It turned yellow before we got to it. Read this, watch the video, and tell me what you would have done.
Absolutely would have stopped….if you hear the lead rider call out “stopping”, you stop.
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This has been addressed several times in this thread.
Yeah, and besides, on the group rides I’ve been on, if the group gets split (say, at a traffic light), the front group waits.
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Pretty sure everyone recognizes there are circumstances where you will have to proceed against a red light when it is safe to do so. That doesn’t negate the idea that you should stop first.
It was an analogy - obviously, everyone will continue - I’m surprised you took the bait. The point was that it’s clearly not a case of absolutism as 75% of the posts have articulated with vehemence - there are many circumstances when running a red without stopping as a cyclist is reasonable, safe and appropriate, if not legal (and if you get picked up you have yourself to blame, much like someone gambling without a parking ticket).
I regularly run filter from right lights like below - in many countries a red light in this situation does not apply to cyclists - so as above it becomes a legal gamble, not a practical or moral one.
As a group I’d agree the issue leans further towards stopping, but not for the moral or legal reasons but the group dynamics - does someone get left behind - does the safe situation change to an unsafe one by the time it gets to the last person in the group. It’s still a judgement call - Is the group 5 people, is it 50; what time is it; how busy is the traffic; do people know/expect you to stop - it’s just a judgement call with more variables.
A loop via Edale and Mam Nick?
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