Do you stop at stop signs?

[actwithclarity]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Any cyclist running red light = moron.

When I'm on my bike I will run red lights when no traffic around or sometimes with light traffic stopped at the light. Pretty hard to get caught on a bike as long as you don't see any cops around.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by actwithclarity

When I'm on my bike I will run red lights when no traffic around or sometimes with light traffic stopped at the light. Pretty hard to get caught on a bike as long as you don't see any cops around.

Pretty hard to get caught even if you did see cops around. Bikes can go where patrol cars can't. And they can outrun foot patrolmen.

So what would they do, shoot me? Take away my driver's license?

Fortunately, they can't do either.

BTW, I slow or even stop for idiot pedestrians and idiot drivers, because I will do ANYTHING to avoid an accident while biking. But that has nothing to do with stop signs or traffic lights.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by actwithclarity

When I'm on my bike I will run red lights when no traffic around or sometimes with light traffic stopped at the light. Pretty hard to get caught on a bike as long as you don't see any cops around.

I've seen too many incidents of near misses and sometimes even no misses because bikes decide to run the lights and then its "I didn't see the pedestrian...". The most recent was a bike going the wrong way down a one-way street so the pedestrian wasn't even looking in that direction - why should they ?

Quite rightly is a car knocks down a child who has run out, the driver's behaviour is checked - drink, drugs, speed etc. It seems in a lot of cases bikers seem to assume they can just get away with it.

In some cities in the UK the Police have now started using bikes and catching / prosecuting bikes for running lights, and riding on pavements or the wrong way down one way streets - you know, stuff bikers think they should get away with too.

I'm not anti biker just anti bad biker, the same as anti bad driver or bad pedestrian - like the one with an iPod who nearly went for a ride on my bonnet this morning.

[piers.singer]

When I was up at uni I used to cycle through the odd red light at low speed if traffic was light and if I could be sure that there were no cars/pedestrians to hit. I know that it's not strictly by the book but riding a high-geared fixie meant that momentum was precious and so I didn't like stopping unless I really had to. Now that I'm back home all the lights are at pedestrian crossings so I don't ride through them at all because I'd knock someone down, it's simply too dangerous.

[Piwoslaw]

The only red lights I've gone through were while cycling, and only at ped crossings, not at intersections, and only after fully stopping first to make sure that it'd be safe. And it's only happened a few times, at crossing where I know the light cycle, ie long green for peds even when no-one is around. If there are also cars stopped at that light, then I'll wait for the green (don't want to give drivers any anti-biker food).

[comptiger5000]

I always stop at traffic lights, and come to a complete stop or very close at stop signs. Turn signals are always used too. Safety matters far more to me than a few drops worth of gas.

[Kodak]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

I've seen too many incidents of near misses and sometimes even no misses...

You mean:

near hits

Near hits?

I couldn't resist. Ever since I hear the above routine, I wonder how the term 'near miss' came to be.

[backyard engineer]

That Belgium stuff has got way to much common sense attached. It could never work here.

[Arragonis]

One 'near hit' was my friend's wife last time we went to Edinburgh.

As we crossed at a crossing which was red to traffic, a biker decided to ignore it. My friend pulled his wife just out of the path of the cyclist at the very last moment, and combined it with a very loud shout right in the bikers ear.

Somewhat surprised the biker fell off, and then annoyed turned to discuss the matter with my friend.

My friend used to play rugby and has retained the size and physique, so the biker had a second thought and just limped off.

That tapped I have also watched pedestrians cross when the traffic light was green and then act surprised when taxis and buses beep and don't stop, and some cars also roll onto crossings at lights instead of stopping before them forcing people into moving traffic to get round them.

I'm afraid there are too many muppets out there.

[Christ]

I live in a fairly hilt rural ish area.... Stop signs are just there because they "should be" and I rarely actually stop. If I'm in town, I stop completely. At night, I don't even slow down at rural stop signs, instead flashing my lights on/off to see if any lights are near/at the intersection, and to let potential casualties know there is a careless, cruel driver approaching. (Generally small woodland creatures for whom I wouldn't swerve anyway.)

Red lights, I stop. I've turned right when my goal was straight just because the right turn lane didn't have to stop, though, and realign further into the route, often ahead of the muppets left in traffic.

I generally don't have to stop at lights, making that point moot. I'm prey good at timing or avoiding them.

I could care less if law enforcement knows I do these things. If enough people refuse to follow the ridiculous laws, they must be changed.