Coming in late to this one...
IMO, like all questions of this sort, you can't see it black and white, its a matter of common sense and in some circumstances, even the police would at best agree, at worst, turn a blind eye.
Scenario1 ...you've arrived at some red lights, there's other traffic or peds using the junction, you jump the red lights....you've wrong and deserve anything that comes your way.
Scenario 2...you approach the lights at say 11pm, the roads are empty, there is no other traffic, nothing. Acceptable to pass the red with caution...yes IMO, but with all due care.
Scenario 3...you approach the lights and stop...and wait. Nothing happens. Its reasonable to assume your bike hasn't activated the loop, so if you blindly follow the law, you'll be there until the next car arrives...which may be an hour.
Scenario 4..and this actually happened to me the other day. Arrived at some red lights in a quiet industrial estate....IN A CAR. Waited...waited...waited, for maybe 2 or 3 minutes. I know the phases there, it NEVER takes that long but do notice the've had the road up and resurfaced a lot.
So, even if i'm wrong, its reasonable to assume the lights have failed for some reason. I pulled away, checking carefully first that there's no other traffic...lo and behold, i looked in my rear view from about 200 yards further on, they'd finally changed to green.
Now, some may argue if you arrived at some TLs on a bike and they didnt change, you should dismount and walk around or across. Working on that principle...should i have pushed my car across....of course not, neither would i on a bike.
Its about common sense. They're just 4 scenarios i can be bothered to think of, they all have different reasons and outcomes. Nothings black and white, not even the law.
If a policeman had seen me...i think it'd have been reasonable to expect him to see the common sense in it all.
