Originally Posted by rydabent

Come on people-----if we want respect as a legal conveyance on the road, OBEY all rules!!!

This and the cyclist that moose up along the right side of cars at stops are doing something illegal, but most of all decreases respect for all cyclist among drivers.

Originally Posted by oban_kobi

This, exactly this. It's not just about what is safe, but also about what is respectable. Going through crosswalks with kids in it is not respectable, it just shows your impatience and scoff law attitude, which could alienate drivers and others. The crossing guard was right. You do know better than that.

Originally Posted by adamtki

We all know that we should follow the same rules that cars follow on the road (for the most part). But, we also know bikes and cars are very different. So when I'm riding along the shoulder, bike lane, or even on the road, I find myself stopping for school buses when they have the stop sign out. So I sit there wondering if I should slowly move past it. Safety wise, I don't think it's a real concern - it's like passing kids when you ride through a trail or park. But I know people can't get over the fact that I'm breaking a rule of the road. I never do end up trying it as I don't want to make cyclist look bad.

This situation is very similar to when I was stopped with traffic when a volunteer was guiding a group of pedestrians across the crosswalk. I found a gap and slowly (5mph) rode through. After I get across, I get yelled at by that volunteer - "HEY, you know better than that!" I think he got upset more because I didn't respect his authority rather than for any real safety concerns.

So what do you guys think? Is it ok to slowly pass a school bus since it's really no different than riding your bike through a park?

Originally Posted by jakub.ner

I completely follow you on the bikes are not cars etc., but do stop for flashing school buses and cross-walks. I know, we all hate to breathe in the crap from the tail end of one of these beasts.

I'd say if you dismount and walk across then hop back on, that should be less agitating to the crossing guard.

Originally Posted by unterhausen

seems like it might be more of a safety issue for you than the kids. In my experience, school buses are driven by people that don't know how to pass cyclists safely

Originally Posted by jputnam

Unless you're about to turn off that road, it seems to me you're inviting a dangerous game of leapfrog with the bus driver. How long after your illegal pass will the bus be passing you again?

Originally Posted by wnl256

If you want the rights to access roads as a vehicle, then you must be prepared to obey the same laws as a vehicle. Vehicles are required to stop for school buses, whether they are machine powered or human powered. If you don't consider yourself a vehicle, then go right ahead and pass the bus. But by the same logic you should be on riding on the sidewalk, not the road.

As another poster mentioned, what is there to gained by passing the bus? In a few moments that bus will be rolling again and it is going to want to go faster than your top speed. By doing this not only have you aggravated the driver by rolling through his or her flashing red stop sign, but you are ahead of the bus going at cycling speeds and forcing the bus to pass you. As for the safety of the maneuver: small children are quite unpredictable and bicycling around them is a challenge regardless of the circumstance. A large bus which obstructs your view only increases the difficulty. (Although I do recognize that teenagers are a bit more orderly getting on and off a bus).

Originally Posted by Doohickie

Why would you stop for a city bus?

Originally Posted by ____asdfghjkl

yeah I stop for the school bus so some one in their car won't think i'm a jackass on a bike.

Originally Posted by adamtki

I rarely force drivers to squeeze around me. There's a bike lane or a shoulder in the situations I'm talking about. What is there to gain? Time. I'm not passing the bus just to pass the bus. I'm just trying to get to my destination faster. Since there's a bike lane, the bus driver doesn't need to swerve around me to pass.

Originally Posted by DogBoy

Consider this. If you stop and wait, you lose tops 2 minutes. If you go and for whatever reason you are involved in something that hurts a kid....Ever see a parent go ballistic? Think the police would give you ANY consideration? No, you'd see a max possible fine for the worst offense the officer can find, and likely a move to restrict cycling rights at the next town council meeting...."for the children."

Originally Posted by wabbit

you can get a huge ticket if you're caught passing a bus. If I come across one with its lights flashing, I slow down and stop...often the bus driver will wave me along. I also don't want to be the @sshole on a bike! the bike paths are dangerous enough....

Originally Posted by Digital_Cowboy

Short answer, no. Stop means stop it doesn't matter if it's a red light, stop sign or the stop lights on a school bus.

Ask yourself how you would feel if someone on a bicycle failed to stop for a school bus that your child was riding on and hit them. Would you as a parent feel better knowing that "at least it was a bicycle" that hit your child or would you want them to stop?

Originally Posted by Digital_Cowboy

That's the same circular "logic" that motorists use when they illegally/unsafely pass cyclists as well as stopped school buses. Does your getting to your destination a couple of minutes sooner really justify the risk of possibly hitting a small child getting off of the bus?

Originally Posted by adamtki

However, I don't see any valid safety arguments as long as the cyclist passes the kids just as he should pass them as if they were on the MUPs.

Originally Posted by unterhausen

seems like it might be more of a safety issue for you than the kids. In my experience, school buses are driven by people that don't know how to pass cyclists safely

Originally Posted by adamtki

Same way that I'd feel if they hit my child when they try to pass him on the MUPs. If they're being careless and whiz by, I'd be upset. If they're being careful by going slow and keeping a safe distance yet my kid instantly darts to the side, I wouldn't blame the cyclist.

There are valid reasons to stop for school buses with stop signs out such as maintaining the driver's respect for cyclist and for simply following the law and not getting fined (however ridiculous it may be since they were designed for cars). However, I don't see any valid safety arguments as long as the cyclist passes the kids just as he should pass them as if they were on the MUPs. Obviously, I'm not talking about whizzing by them at 15 mph within 5 feet. But isn't it strange how that's acceptable and within the law on the MUPs? And I'm sure all you law abiding cyclists have never done that on the MUPs as well!!

Originally Posted by adamtki

I don't know what circular logic you're talking about, but cars are nowhere near as dangerous as bikes, last I recall, so some of the logic we use as cyclists don't apply to cars. For example, some may argue that some stop signs should really be yield signs for cyclists since cyclists have a much better field of vision and we are traveling at slower speeds....

Also, I was merely addressing the leap frogging point that the person I was responding to was talking about. I don't pass the bus and cause them to get frustrated because they need to pass me again, because I have my own bike lane.

Originally Posted by wnl256

MUPs don't have large school buses obstructing your view. If you pass the bus on the right then you are going to be weaving in and out of a line of children who are entering or exiting the bus. If you pass the bus on the left then you risk hitting a child who is coming around the front of the bus (where you won't see him until the last second) or darting across the street to get on the bus.

You may not see any valid safety arguments, but I don't see any safe way to pass a stopped school bus without getting in the way.