Yeah what about the two cyclists who ran red lights and nearly ran me over while I was crossing the street as a pedestrian when I had a “walk” signal? Was that the kind of shortcut everyone takes?
Just because a driver breaks the law, it doesn’t mean you have a right to also. As a motorist, I do obey all traffic laws. I come to complete stops at stop signs and I try to be aware of cyclists and give them the same consideration I do to motorists. In return, I expect cyclists to obey the rules the same as I do. Don’t ride on the left side of the street against the traffic flow (I see this a lot) and stop at stop signs and red lights. I’m not a perfect driver, but I try my best. If you make an effort, too, we’ll both be safer.
If you were really concerned for your safety, I should think stopping at stop signs would be at the top of the list. That’s maybe not your best defence, I’m thinking.
And really, “Well I almost got hit once!” So I must be right!
First, bikes can safely stop themselves within about 5 feet.
Second, bikes carry the mass of their rider plus maybe 40 pounds.
To insist that bikes come to a complete stop at a deserted intersection is rules lawyering. Yes, it’s strictly illegal, but its also practically perfectly safe. I pretty much never fully stop at stop signs in areas with light cross traffic.
Of course I stop at stop signs where there is a line-up of cars in two directions or there are pedestrians crossing, but a nice slowdown with glances in all directions and fingers on the brake lever has sufficed in my years of safe riding.
I
DON’T
CARE.
Run somewhere else then! Don’t run in the street! It’s not safe!
I’m in complete agreement.
I will also point out that if I see a cyclist rolling through an intersection, it’s because I’m there sitting in my car, at the intersection. If there is a car at the intersection, that intersection is busy, and other drivers/riders should be more cautious about coming to a full stop for things like stop signs and red lights.
If the intersection is empty, I have no problem with a cyclist slowing down to near-stall speeds, checking the traffic pattern, then proceeding, for a stop sign. I still think you should not pass through a red light, except to make a legal turn.
And neither is the sidewalk by a wide margin since drivers can’t be bothered to look or sightlines are compromised.
Who is this “we” you speak of? As a driver, I encounter multiple 3- and 4-way stops every day (all with multiple lanes) and see drivers roll through all the time. Then there are the ones turning onto the main road that figure that as long as oncoming traffic doesn’t have to slam on the brakes that they can go ahead and not even pretend to stop. My city has a large bicyclist population and I encounter far more dangerous/annoying drivers than bikers.
See this bridge, with the ***huge ***concrete sides (especially on the right side) for pedestrians and bicycles?
Why would any bicyclist want to ride where the cars are? It’s stupid and dangerous?
I cross this bridge several times per day. There is a trail that goes under the bridge.
Because it’s illegal (.pdf) for cyclists to ride on the sidewalk?
For your bridge, the cyclist would have to ride on the street, legally, then jump the curb to get onto the sidewalk for the bridge section, then off the curb again to ride legally.
There are big concrete barriers, but unless that sidewalk is marked as a multi-use path the area on the other side is a sidewalk which isn’t legal or safe for me to ride. I feel I’m safer in the road. I rode to work in Boston traffic year-round, that bridge is trivial. As a cyclist that bridge doesn’t worry me at all.
Bikes and cars can co-exist on most roads. There are some exceptions (the Sagamore Bridge to Cape Cod is one, for example) and I’ll gladly abide the rules when they are needed. But I bike, run, and drive on roads in all sorts of places and don’t have the problems you keep complaining about. If you can’t safely pass me on the road then wait until it’s safe. Such is life on the roads.
I really wish you hadn’t brought all this up. It is going to escalate this into a car vs. bike debate that I’d rather not this devolve into. I’d like to keep this to this situation only. Take rants against cars (or against cyclists) to the dozen other threads on that.
I always stop, because the sign says STOP. if I am turning, even if there is no one around, I signal too.
How fast do you think I’m going through the stop sign? If there is any doubt about right of way, or if I need to definitely declare my right of way, I stop. On the other hand, if it is obvious I’d have the right of way, I don’t come to a complete stop because it would actually slow both of us down. But I only do this if it is safe for me. In other words I’m CERTAIN I can clear the intersection (not with speeding through the stop sign, but rolling through it) before the car enters it.
Again, I do appreciate you chiming into this discussion. It is good for me to hear opinions from other people. It is why I asked. I ask that we try to keep this on the topic of 4 way stop signs and not just bikes on the road in general. That is another topic, I think. Although I see your point that if you think bikes don’t belong on the road at all, they certainly don’t belong at 4-way stop signs and rolling through them.
I failed a road test for my current license for not to coming to a complete stop before turning. Damn right I always stop and signal, even if I’m on a bicycle!
I think my point is that if I don’t mind someone else doing it, I shouldn’t mind if a different group altogether does the same thing. I don’t mind cars rolling through stop signs, although I do think they have to be more careful because of they have less visibility, less auditory input and far more mass and inflict far more damage. That isn’t to say cyclists can’t inflict plenty of damage, but a car and a cyclist hitting someone at the same speed would do very different levels of damage.
Stop signs are generally at lower traffic and lower speed intersections. I agree it is a bit arbitrary, though, saying that one should stop at one but not necessarily at the other.
THAT’S NOT A SIDEWALK FOR PEDESTRIANS ONLY! It was purposely made wide to accommodate bikes AND pedestrians. The roadway is too fucking narrow!
I got a ticket for rolling through a stop on my bike years and years ago. It was at 6:30 in the morning and the policeman had the intersection staked out to catch cars that were blowing through the stop sign. The fine was $135 and I went to court hoping the police officer wouldn’t show up. He did show up, so that gambit didn’t work. However, I told the judge I thought the fine was too high and he reduced it to $28. I’ve learned my lesson…I always at put a foot down at stop signs now.